Secret Florida Lottery Winner Gets $1.6 Billion
The regulator of the lottery prizes in the US state of Florida said on Wednesday that the winner of the second largest lottery in the history of the United States had applied for the $1.6 billion prize, but the person’s identity may remain secret for another 90 days.
She explained, “The Mega Millions jackpot win came on Monday, seven weeks after the August 8th draw.”
Florida is one of 45 states, in addition to Washington, D.C., and the US Virgin Islands, that participate in Mega Millions.
The process went through thirty-one drawings, twice a week, without a winner. Until someone who bought a ticket from a supermarket was able to match all six numbers.
Mega Millions said: The grand prize of $1.602 billion is the largest in its history, exceeding the $1.537 billion prize won in the state of South Carolina in 2018.
This prize is second behind the record set by the rival Powerball lottery, which had a jackpot of $2.04 billion for a ticket sold in California in November 2022, according to the Powerball website.
The Mega Millions website stated that the winner of the “Mega Millions” in Florida will have the option of claiming the full amount paid over 30 years, or receiving a total amount of $794.2 million in cash. A tax is imposed on the gains.
Florida law does not require winners of lottery prizes of $250,000 or more to reveal their identities publicly until 90 days after receiving the prize.
For a $2 ticket, the odds of winning the jackpot are about one in 300 million.
(Reuters)
