Mega Millions: Winning $1.58 billion ticket sold in Neptune Beach, Florida
$1.58 billion Mega Millions ticket sold in Florida
A lucky lottery player in Florida hit the jackpot after purchasing a winning Mega Millions ticket worth an estimated $1.58 billion, officials said. The single ticket, which was sold a Publix grocery store in Neptune Beach – a city east of Jacksonville – matched all five numbers, plus the mega ball in Tuesday's drawing to win the largest prize in the game's history.
NEPTUNE BEACH, Fla. - A lucky lottery player in Florida hit the jackpot after purchasing a winning Mega Millions ticket worth an estimated $1.58 billion, officials said.
The single ticket, which was sold at a Publix grocery store in Neptune Beach – a city east of Jacksonville – matched all five numbers, plus the mega ball in Tuesday's drawing to win the largest prize in the game's history.
The winning numbers in the August 8 drawing were 13, 19, 20, 32, 33, and the mega ball, 14.
The store that sold the winning ticket is located at 630 Atlantic Boulevard.
The winner of the billion-dollar prize has the choice to receive it through a 30-year annuity plan, or they can opt for a lump sum, with the latter option being approximately $783.3 million.
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Another lucky lottery player in the Sunshine State also hit it big, winning a second-tier prize of $2 million. That player matched all five numbers, except the mega ball. That ticket was sold at the Kwik Stop located at 830 Columbus Parkway in Hollywood, Florida.
Typically, the prize for matching five numbers is $1 million, but because that person purchased a megaplier, a special feature that allows players to win two to five times their non-jackpot prize, their winnings were doubled.
At least 68 other tickets across the country won second-tier prizes of $1 million or more. Those tickets were sold in Arizona, California, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Before the big win Tuesday night, there had been 31 straight drawings since the last time someone won the game’s jackpot, which enabled the prize to steadily grow to be the third-largest ever in U.S. history, the Associated Press reported.
The Mega Millions jackpot now resets to $20 million.