Mega Millions Player Sets New Texas Record With $360 Million Win
Monday October 9th 2023A Mega Millions ticket holder from Texas smashed the record for the Lone Star State’s biggest-ever lottery win on Friday night, landing a jackpot worth $360 million.
While fellow multi-state lottery Powerball has stormed past $1 billion for the second time in a matter of months, the grand prize for Mega Millions has also been heading upwards at a rapid rate since it was last won in mid-August.
The drawing on Friday proved to be a lucky one for more than 905,000 players as they matched enough of the winning numbers - 12, 24, 46, 57 and 66, with Mega Ball 22 - to get a prize. Many of those winners had their payout tripled after the Megaplier 3X was selected. Check out the full Mega Millions Draw Details.
It was quickly announced after the draw that the jackpot-winning ticket had been purchased in San Angelo in Texas. The specific location was later confirmed to be Stripes No. 5031, at 5665 Sherwood Way.
Gary Grief, the Texas Lottery’s chief executive director, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have a big Mega Millions jackpot winner right here in Texas and we’re eagerly looking forward to meeting and congratulating the Lone Star State’s largest-ever Mega Millions jackpot winner.
“If you have the winning ticket, we encourage you to sign the ticket, put it in a safe place, seek financial and legal advice, and call the Texas Lottery before coming to Austin to claim the prize.”
The winner will be able to choose between taking the $360 million as an annuity or accepting a lump sum of $156.9 million before taxes. They will be allowed to keep their identity private if they wish to stay anonymous. The lucky retailer, meanwhile, will also receive a $1 million bonus for selling the winning ticket.
Nobody in Texas has ever won a jackpot worth as much as $360 million before. An anonymous player from the state did match all the Powerball numbers when the grand prize stood at $564 million in February 2015, but there were two other winners in the same draw so everyone got a $188 million share.
While the Mega Millions jackpot will now drop to $20 million for the next drawing, all eyes are sure to be on Powerball until the 10-figure jackpot finally gets won.
Whichever game you play, make sure to buy your tickets in plenty of time for the draw and then keep them safe until you have checked the numbers. You might just end up as the next big winner.
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