A single ticket holder in South Carolina won the $1.537 billion Mega Millions jackpot, close to the all-time record
Mega Millions has confirmed that a single ticket holder has won the $1.537 billion jackpot — close to the all-time record jackpot for any lottery.
A winning ticket for the lottery was sold in South Carolina, the state lottery said on early Wednesday.
Mega Millions said that ” a single lucky ticket holder in South Carolina can claim a tremendous lottery jackpot.” It also said that the South Carolina lottery board “can’t wait to meet the lucky ticket holder.”
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The winner has two options: an immediate cash payment of $878 million or the full prize paid out over 29 years.
The winning ticket matched the five numbers 5, 28, 62, 65, 70 and the Mega Ball 5 that were drawn on Tuesday night.
The record is a $1.586 billion jackpot for a Powerball draw in 2016, which was shared by three people with winning tickets.
Earlier estimates had placed the jackpot at $1.6 billion, which would have been an all-time record.
Maryland Lottery spokeswoman Carol Gentry told the Associated Press that the estimate was off because “there are few precedents for a jackpot of this size” and, as 70% of sales typically take place on the day of the draw, “forecasting precise numbers in advance can be difficult.”
The buyer beat the odds of 1 in 303 million to win the Mega Millions lottery.
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