Mega Millions winner scores $1.2 billion jackpot

A ticketholder in a US lotto has won an eye-watering jackpot of more than $1 billion, ending a 20-draw streak of no winners.

Everything is bigger in Texas — even the jackpots.

A ticketholder in the US Mega Millions draw won Tuesday’s $US800 million ($1.2 billion) jackpot at a petrol station outside Houston, breaking a streak of over 20 drawings without a jackpot winner.

The winning numbers were 1, 2, 16, 24, 66, and the gold Mega ball 6.

The ticket was purchased at Murphy USA 8848 gas station on Highway 90A in Sugar Land, Texas, according to the state lottery.

The business, which will receive $1 million for selling the jackpot-winning ticket, sits across the street from Constellation Field, the home ballpark for the Sugar Land Space Cowboys minor league baseball team, and 34km southwest of downtown Houston.

The lucky winner walks away with $800 million – more than $1.2 billion in Australian dollars. Picture: Frederic J. Brown/AFP

It is the 15th time a jackpot-winning Mega Millions ticket was sold in Texas, and the first since October 6, 2023, when Blue Yucca Trust won the $US361 million prize ($541 million).

The odds of winning the Mega Millions are an astronomical one in 302,575,350.

The lucky winner can claim the $US800 million in annual payouts or choose the one-time cash payout of $US404.2 million ($605.6 million).

Prize winners who win more than $1 million in Texas can choose to remain anonymous, according to state law.

The win ends 20 Mega Millions draws without a winner. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images via AFP

Four other lucky players — from New York, California, Florida and Washington state — matched the five white balls to secure a $1 million prize.

The ticketholder in New York purchased the lucky slip from a Gulf Express petrol station in New Windsor.

Tuesday’s winner marks the third time the Mega Millions grand prize was won in 2024, behind the $US1.13 billion ($1.69 billion) prize sold on March 26 and the $US552 million ($827 million) on June 4.

The next drawing — on Friday the 13th — reverts to $US20 million ($29.9 million).

The largest Mega Millions jackpot ever won, worth $US1.62 billion ($2.43 billion), was sold at a supermarket in Neptune Beach, Florida, in August 2023.

The historic ticket was claimed by Saltines Holdings LLC., which chose to claim the one-time, lump-sum payment of $US794,248,882.

This article originally appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission