A single ticket-holder in Maine is celebrating a monumental win after matching all six numbers to win the $1.35bn Mega Millions jackpot, the second largest jackpot in the history of the game.
The winning ticket was sold at Hometown Gas & Grill in Lebanon, Maine, and was the only ticket to match all six numbers drawn on Friday Jan. 13 – the white balls 30, 43, 45, 46 and 61, plus the gold Mega Ball 14.
The player takes home the fourth billion-dollar jackpot in Mega Millions history.
Fourteen tickets matched all five white balls to win the game’s second-tier prize of $1m. Four were sold in New York, two in California, and one each in Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Texas.
“Congratulations to the Maine State Lottery, which has just won its first-ever Mega Millions jackpot,” said Ohio Lottery director Pat McDonald, who is also lead director for the Mega Millions Consortium. “It’s the fourth billion-dollar jackpot in Mega Millions history.
“We thank all our retailers for their hard work during this spectacular run, and our customers for their enthusiasm and support. I hope the fun and excitement Mega Millions has generated inspires a winning attitude in our daily lives and towards everyone we meet. Here’s to a good year!”
The jackpot had been rolling since it was last won on October 14, when a $502m prize was shared by winning tickets in California and Florida.
The jackpot for the next drawing on Tuesday January 17 resets to its current starting value of $20m ($10.7m cash).
The record Mega Millions jackpot remains $1.537bn, won by a single ticket in South Carolina in October 2018.