Mega Millions jackpot winner claims $1.6bn prize after buying ticket in Florida supermarket
The quandary for the mystery winner is now whether to take a much-reduced lump sum or the full amount drip-fed over 30 years.
Wednesday 27 September 2023 23:11, UK
Listen to this article
0:00 / 1:35
1X
BeyondWords
Audio created using AI assistance
Pic: AP
Image:
Pic: AP
Why you can trust Sky News
A lucky winner has come forward to claim a $1.6bn (£1.32bn) Mega Millions lottery jackpot in the US.
The ticket was bought at a Publix supermarket in Neptune Beach, near Jacksonville in Florida.
However, the winner sat on the ticket for a while as the numbers were drawn at the start of August.
Under state law, their name must stay anonymous for 90 days.
It’s the third-biggest US lottery prize ever – the largest was a $2.04bn (£1.68bn) jackpot in November 2022.
The largest UK prize was in July 2022 when a mystery winner scooped £195m in the EuroMillions.
The Florida winner must now decide if they want a much-reduced lump sum or the full amount divided over 30 annual payments.
Whatever they choose, federal taxes will take a huge chunk.
Lottery bosses did not say which option they had gone for but nearly everyone takes a one-off payment.
Read more from Sky News:
US soldier who ran into North Korea ‘very happy’ to be free
Biden’s dog bites another Secret Service agent
However, an anonymous winner in Virginia in March 2023 went for a $156.7m (£129m) yearly payment instead.
Before then, the last time someone had chosen the annuity was 2014.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states, Washington DC and the US Virgin Islands.
Related Topics
Florida
