Mega Millions jackpot run ends with $1.58 billion winner in Florida

One lucky Florida Lottery player has won a record $1.58 billion jackpot this week from Mega Millions after 31 drawings without a big win in the multi-jurisdictional US lottery game.

Strong sales pushed the jackpot for the 32^nd drawing past the previous record of $1.54 billion, won in South Carolina in October 2018.

It marks the fourth time a jackpot-winning ticket has been sold in Florida, with two prior wins shared with other states, most recently a $502 million prize split with California last October.

The series of Mega Millions jackpot rollovers generated more than $73.4 million for education in Florida.

“We congratulate our newest jackpot winner, as well as the more than 43.7 million winners at all prize levels throughout this jackpot run,” said Georgia Lottery president and CEO Gretchen Corbin, lead director of the Mega Millions Consortium. “We also celebrate the funds generated for the many good causes supported by our participating lotteries.”

The ticket was sold at Publix, located at 630 Atlantic Boulevard in Neptune Beach, a store that now receives a bonus $100,000.

The jackpot prize winner has the option of receiving their winnings in 30 annual instalments or a lump sum payment of $783.3 million.

The Mega Millions jackpot has been rolling since it was last won in New York in April, although there have already been seven jackpot winners already this year, including a $1.35 billion winner in Maine in January.

The next Mega Millions jackpot takes place later today (11 August) with the jackpot reset to its current starting value of $20 million.

Last month, a lucky California Lottery player matched all six Powerball numbers to win a jackpot worth $1.08 billion.