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After 29 straight Mega Millions drawings, the prize money soared to an impressive $1.3 billion.
This jackpot is the second largest in the 20-year history of the lottery game.
However, a winning ticket was finally bought on July 29 at a Speedway in Des Plaines, which is only 15 miles northwest of Chicago.
This news will likely inspire many people to purchase Illinois Lottery tickets for the upcoming jackpot.
The retailer is set to receive a $500,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket, as confirmed by Mega Millions officials during a news conference held on Saturday following the winning drawing on Friday night.
Odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot
The chances of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302.5 million. The winning numbers on the golden ticket were 13-36-45-57-67, with the Mega Ball being 14.
The Des Plaines winner’s Mega Millions jackpot was surpassed in size only by a $1.5 billion ticket sold in South Carolina in 2018, making it the third-largest lottery prize in the nation.
You can purchase tickets in 45 states, as well as in Washington DC and the US Virgin Islands.
The fortunate individual who bought the winning ticket has not yet come forward to claim their prize. They have a one-year window to do so, after which they have 60 days to choose between taking a cash payout or another form of prize.
Despite the fact that the winner may eventually reveal themselves, there is a possibility that we may never find out who they are. In Illinois, winners of $250,000 or more have the option to remain anonymous. Illinois is one of 17 states that provide this privacy protection to their major prize winners.
Does Illinois receive any of the prize money?
$26 million of the recent Mega Millions winnings will be allocated by the state to support K-12 public schools in Illinois. Nearly 25% of the total from each Illinois Lottery ticket purchased goes towards funding education in the Prairie State.
In the past year, the total amount given to schools through the lottery was $731 million, bringing the total amount donated since 1985 to over $21 billion.
This is how the large prizes from games like Mega Millions are distributed throughout the state.
- The winner received 67% of the payment.
- 23% of the funds were allocated to the common school fund, capital projects fund, and specialty tickets.
- The retailer who sold the ticket will receive a 5% payment.
- 5% of the Illinois Lottery revenue is allocated for various expenses, such as operations.
How to play Mega Millions in Illinois and other lottery games
Illinois Lottery players have access to a variety of game types, which can be purchased at numerous retail locations throughout the state as well as online.
The games that can be played online and on mobile devices include:
- Mega Millions
- Powerball
- Lotto
- Lucky Day Lotto
- Pick 3
- Pick 4
- Fast Play
