ILLINOIS – It’s been nearly a month since the $1 billion jackpot ticket went on sale, but the winner hasn’t claimed all that money yet.
For about a month Americans watched the Mega Millions jackpot grow to $1.34 billion.
After 29 consecutive draws without a winner, a winning ticket was finally sold out at a gas station in Des Plaines, Illinois.
But so far, no one has come forward with the golden ticket.
The Illinois Lottery Administrator says the winner has one year from the date of the draw to claim the money, and since the amount is over $250,000, the winner can choose to remain anonymous in Illinois.
The $1.34 billion prize is for players who are paid with the annuity option, which makes 30 annual payments spanning 29 years.
Almost all jackpot winners choose the cash option, which is estimated to be $747.2 million before taxes for this lucky winner.
The $1.34 billion jackpot was the second largest in Mega Millions history.
In 2018, one winning ticket was sold in South Carolina for a prize of $1.537 billion. The record jackpot in the United States is $1.586 billion for a Powerball draw in January 2016.
The odds of winning an amazing Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302.5 million.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states plus Washington, DC and the US Virgin Islands.
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