WASHINGTON - A lottery player in the US state of Florida won a record US$1.58 billion (N$29.5 billion) Mega Millions jackpot on Tuesday, the lottery announced.
“After 31 drawings without a big win, a lucky ticket-holder in Florida will celebrate the summer of 2023 with a record-sized MEGA jackpot, currently estimated at US$1.58 billion,” Mega Millions said in a statement.
Tuesday’s 10-figure jackpot win is expected to set a new record for the game, trumping the previous Mega Millions’ top payout of US$1.537 billion won in 2018, the lottery said.
The Mega Millions jackpot winner is the first declared since April -- and if the prize sum is confirmed, it would be the third-largest payout in US lottery history, ABC News reported.
The winner, who has not been identified, can choose to take about US$783 million in cash up front, or receive the full sum, broken into yearly payments over 30 years, which increase by 5% annually.
Most winners choose the lump sum payout. All winnings are subject to income taxes.
The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are one in 303 million -- much higher than the one-in-a-million chance of being struck by lightning, according to US government data.
The winning numbers on Tuesday were 13, 19, 20, 32 and 33, plus the gold ball 14.
Two other winners in Florida and North Carolina won US$2 million each, while five more players won US$1 million each.
Tickets are sold for US$2 in 45 states, Washington DC and the US Virgin Islands.
The next Mega Millions drawing is tomorrow, with the jackpot resetting to US$20 million, with a cash value of US$9.9 million.
- Nampa/AFP