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(New York, NY) — A new jackpot record was reached in this Mega Millions history, and sorry NYC, you didn’t win.
The winning ticket was sold to one lucky Florida resident at a Publix supermarket in Neptune Beach. The man is taking home an estimated $1.58 billion in winnings, making it the largest lottery jackpot in the history of Mega Millions. It surpassed the 2018 South Carolina record setting jackpot worth $1.537 billion, according to officials.
So, what now for the winner?
The Florida winner will have to choose between two options: an annual payment of an undisclosed amount, or a one time payment, valued significantly less than the $1.58 billion of about 783.3 million (less than half) according to Mega Millions.
The win comes after 31 drawings without a jackpot winning, and the big winner marks the fourth time a jackpot winning ticket was sold in Florida.
“Congratulations to the Florida Lottery for selling a jackpot-winning ticket in Tuesday’s $1.58 billion Mega Millions drawing,” said Georgia Lottery President and CEO Gretchen Corbin, lead director of the Mega Millions Consortium. “We congratulate our newest jackpot winner, as well as the more than 43.7 million winners at all prize levels throughout this jackpot run. We also celebrate the funds generated for the many good causes supported by our participating lotteries.”
The next Mega Millions jackpot drawing will begin Friday, August 11 and will start at $20 million.
