The second largest Mega Millions jackpot of all time was finally won last week as a Maine State Lottery player scooped the $1.35bn prize, amounting to $723.5m in cash.
Last Friday’s successful draw was the 26th and final draw in a sequence that began on Oct 18 and spanned nearly three months.
The winning ticket was sold at Hometown Gas and Grill in Lebanon, Maine, with the business earning a resale bonus of $50,000.
“Congratulations to the Maine State Lottery, which has just won its first-ever Mega Millions jackpot,” said Ohio Lottery Director Pat McDonald, who is also Lead Director for the Mega Millions Consortium.
“It’s the fourth billion-dollar jackpot in Mega Millions history. We thank all our retailers for their hard work during this spectacular run, and our customers for their enthusiasm and support.
“I hope the fun and excitement Mega Millions has generated inspires a winning attitude in our daily lives and towards everyone we meet.”
Through the 26 draws beginning Oct 18, there were more than 40.3 million winning tickets across all prize tiers. These include 82 second-tier prizes worth $1m or more, won in 25 different states from coast to coast.
The latest Mega Millions jackpot was the fourth-highest in US history, ranking it behind the $2bn and $1.57bn prizes won by Powerball players in Nov 2022 and Jan 2016 respectively.
The record Mega Millions jackpot remains $1.53bn, won by a single ticket in South Carolina on October 23, 2018.
