NewsBite

Lotto winner scores $841 million jackpot

A lucky player has scored an enormous $841 million jackpot, ending a drought lasting just over three months.

A Mega Millions player in Illinois, United States won the jackpot worth $841 million
A Mega Millions player in Illinois, United States won the jackpot worth $841 million

Somebody’s feeling like a million bucks!

A Mega Millions player in Illinois, United States won a jackpot worth $841 million ($US560 million) on Tuesday night, ending a drought lasting just over three months.

The winning numbers were 19, 37, 40, 63, 69, and the gold Mega ball 17.

It was the ninth-largest jackpot prize in the game’s history, the New York Post reports.

The lucky winner can either claim the outright $841 million ($US560 million) or choose the one-time cash payout of $396 million ($US264 million).

A Mega Millions player in Illinois, United States won the jackpot worth $841 million.
A Mega Millions player in Illinois, United States won the jackpot worth $841 million.

Tuesday night’s win is the second time the Mega Millions jackpot ballooned past $750 million ($US500 million) since last summer.

It is also the first time the grand prize was won since March 26 when a lucky New Jersey player purchased a ticket worth $1.7 billion ($US1.13 billion).

Mega Millions players have a 1 in 302,575,350 chance of winning the jackpot in any drawing.

The March jackpot win was the fifth largest in the game’s history.

The life-changing ticket was sold at ShopRite Liquor on Route 66 in Neptune Township.

The New Jersey grocery store received a $45,000 ($US30,000) bonus check for selling the winning ticket.

No winner has come forward to claim their prize, of either the $1.7 billion ($US1.13 billion) in annual instalments over 30 years, or a one-time lump sum estimated at $807 million ($US537.5 million).

Under New Jersey law, lottery winners can remain anonymous and the prizes can be claimed up to a year after the drawing.

The Lottery Office, which is wholly Australian-owned, allows Aussies a shot at the massive US prize pool through its government-licenced USA Mega Lotto, which is matched to the US Mega Millions lottery.

This story was published by the New York Post and reproduced with permission

Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/finance/money/wealth/lotto-winner-hits-841-million-jackpot/news-story/42aeccde60abf9996d5406d0b907445b