Record Mega Millions Winner Claims Prize
Wednesday September 27th 2023The biggest Mega Millions winner of all time has come forward to claim their jackpot of $1.602 billion. The lucky Florida player has decided to take the cash option of $783 million.
It was back on August 8 - after almost four months without a winner - that the record prize was finally won. It was revealed that the ticket was sold at a Publix in Neptune Beach, but there has been no word about the winner for the past few weeks.
However, an important deadline was looming on October 7, as the winner only had 60 days to make contact with the Florida Lottery if they wanted the lump sum value of the jackpot.
If they had not staked a claim within that time, they would have had no choice but to accept the jackpot as an annuity. Instead, the winner can now be paid out the cash option, which works out at around $493.5 million after taxes.
Who is the Winner?
No more information has been disclosed about the winner at this stage, as the Florida Lottery now allows players who claim $250,000 or more to remain anonymous when they come forward.
However, according to Florida Lottery rules, the winner’s name can only stay confidential for 90 days before it then becomes a matter of public record.
The identity of the winner can therefore be legally released by the Florida Lottery from December 25, if there is a Freedom of Information request.
Prior to the record win in August, the record for the largest Mega Millions win of all time had belonged to a South Carolina player who was allowed to remain anonymous. That win was worth $1.537 billion and came in October 2018.
The jackpot has also gone above $1 billion on several other occasions since 2018, including a $1.35 billion payout in January that went to a player from Maine.
Mega Millions draws take place every Tuesday and Friday night, and you can check the latest winning numbers as soon as they are available.
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