Last week we reported that the US Mega Millions jackpot had hit a new record with a jackpot worth $1.6 billion then after days of Americans queuing around the block to buy lottery tickets, a winner was finally found and it’s another record!
The Friday Mega Millions, worth $1.6 billion has been won by a single ticket holder from South Carolina who matched all six numbers to win the biggest ever lottery prize for a single winner. This isn’t just the biggest prize in the US either, the winner is the world’s biggest lottery winner in history and collects a prize worth more than most people can even dream of!
The ticket matched 5, 28, 62, 65, 70, and the Mega Ball 5 on Friday night to collect the entire jackpot. Because of the way that US lottery prizes worth, the winner can choose between a lump sum or annuity payments. Given the size of the prize it’s likely the winner will choose the lump sum, which is $904,000,000. There is tax to pay on this, but even then this is a massive lottery jackpot and more money than most could spend in a lifetime.
To put the win into perspective, it’s enough cash to buy an NFL team, to buy out the Washington Post, and still have enough spare change to buy a private jet to get about the place.
No news has yet been released about the winner and no one has come forward to claim the prize. It’s not yet known whether the winner is even aware that they are the biggest single lottery winner in the world, but we’re likely to find out more in the coming days and weeks.