Ticket wins record-breaking $1.58 billion jackpot in Florida

A single ticket sold in the state of Florida, located in the southeastern United States, won a massive record-breaking prize of $1.58 billion in the Mega Millions drawing on Tuesday, as announced by the organizers of the American lottery.

In a statement, the Mega Millions lottery officials said, "After 31 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner, the lucky ticket holder in Florida will celebrate the summer of 2023 with a record-breaking prize of about $1.58 billion."

The statement noted that this enormous prize won on Tuesday sets a new record for this game, surpassing the previous highest jackpot in Mega Millions history, which was $1.537 billion in 2018.

This is the first announced grand prize winner in Mega Millions since April. If the value of the prize is confirmed, it will be the third-largest jackpot in the history of lotteries in the United States, according to ABC News.

The winner, whose identity has not been revealed, can choose to receive approximately $783 million in cash in a single lump-sum payment or receive the full amount spread out in annual payments over 30 years, increasing by five percent annually.

Most winners opt for the lump-sum payment. All winnings are subject to income taxes.

The odds of winning the grand prize in Mega Millions are one in 303 million, a much lower likelihood than being struck by lightning, which is one in a million, according to US government data.

The winning numbers in Tuesday's drawing were 13, 19, 20, 32, 33, and the gold Mega Ball was 14.

Two other tickets in Florida and North Carolina won $2 million each, while five other players won $1 million each.

Tickets are sold for $2 in 45 states, in addition to the capital Washington DC and the US Virgin Islands.

The next Mega Millions drawing will take place on Friday, with a grand prize of $20 million (or $9.9 million if choosing the cash option).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AFP