Maine scored its first Mega Millions jackpot — and someone beat the bad luck of Friday the 13th — when a lottery ticket purchased in the state matched the winning numbers for the lottery’s estimated $1.35 billion grand prize.
The lucky combination of numbers drawn late Friday night were: 30, 43, 45, 46, 61 and golden Mega Ball 14.
The winner, whose name is not yet known, overcame steep odds of 1 in 302.6 million, leading to three months of draws – 25 consecutive – with no claim to the jackpot.
“Congratulations to the Maine State Lottery, which has just won its first-ever Mega Millions jackpot,” Pat McDonald, Ohio lottery director and Chief Executive Officer of the Mega Millions Consortium, said in a statement early Saturday.
The jackpot was the second largest in Mega Millions history and the game’s fourth billion dollar win. The largest Mega Millions jackpot in October 2018 was $1.53 billion, claimed by a single cardholder in South Carolina.
Why have lottery prizes gotten so big? Another record-breaking Mega Millions jackpot is up for grabs on Friday. This is why.
Friday’s lucky draw also marked the seventh time there had been a grand prize winner on Friday the 13th, a date superstitiously considered unlucky.
To claim the full $1.35 billion, the winner would have to put the money into an annuity with annual payments over 29 years. Most jackpot recipients prefer the discounted but faster cash option, which was estimated to be worth $724.6 million before Friday night’s drawing.
Pictures:How much do you win after taxes on Mega Millions? The $1.35 billion jackpot shrinks significantly
What should I do if I win the lottery? Here’s what you need to know.
The next big draw on Tuesday will drop to an estimated $20 million and a $10.7 million cash option.
How do I play Mega Millions?
To enter Mega Millions, players choose six numbers – or choose to have the lottery machine generate a random “Easy Pick” or “Quick Pick”:
- Five numbers go from 1 to 70 (white balls)
- One number can be chosen from 1 to 25 (gold Mega Ball)
If your ticket matches all six winning numbers from the draw, you win the jackpot. There are also smaller prizes depending on how many balls match your numbers.
The cost to play Mega Millions is $2 per ticket. You can add the Megaplier for $1, which increases the amount of your potential prize to five times the original prize (excluding the jackpot).
Mega Millions can be played in 45 states, the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands.
What are the odds of winning Mega Millions?
A gigantic jackpot attracts many players, but it is important to note that the chances of taking home a Mega Millions top prize are extremely small. Experts emphasize that people who participate in the lottery should not buy more lottery tickets than they can afford.
“Imagine writing the letters ‘Mega Millions’ on separate pieces of paper, shuffling them up and letting your cat choose letters at random. Your cat is five times more likely than you to spell ‘Mega Millions’ correctly to win Matthew Kovach, assistant professor of economics at Virginia Tech, told USA TODAY this week.
Kovach added that you’re more likely to be struck by lightning twice in your lifetime than to win the lottery.
- The odds of winning the jackpot are 302,575,350 to 1.
- The odds of matching all five cues are 12,607,306 to 1.
Biggest lottery prizes in US history
- $2.04 billion, Powerball, November 7, 2022: Won in California.
- $1.586 billion, Powerball, January 13, 2016: Three winners in California, Florida, Tennessee.
- $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, October 23, 2018: Won in South Carolina.
- $1.35 billion, Mega Millions, January 13: Won in Maine
- $1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022: Won in Illinois.
- $1.05 billion, Mega Millions, January 22, 2021: Won in Michigan.
- $768.4 million, Powerball, March 27, 2019: Won in Wisconsin.
- $758.7 million, Powerball, August 23, 2017: Won in Massachusetts.
- $730 million, Powerball, January 20, 2021: Won in Maryland.
- $699.8 million, Powerball, Oct. 4. 2021: Won in California.
Contributions: The Associated Press
