- Credits
- 51,296
The chase for the second-largest Mega Millions jackpot has ended -- with a single ticket sold in the Chicago area for the whole $1.337 billion.
One ticket bought in Des Plaines hit the top prize in Friday night's drawing, according to the Illinois Lottery, securing the third-largest jackpot of any US lottery game and ending a buildup that began when Mega Millions last drew a jackpot winner in mid-April.
The winning ticket was purchased at a Speedway gas station in Des Plaines, roughly a 20-mile drive northwest of downtown Chicago, the Illinois Lottery said Saturday.
"We have not heard from the winner yet. We don't know whether ... they even know that they won a prize. So I encourage everybody to check your ticket," Illinois Lottery Director Harold Mays told reporters Saturday morning in Chicago.
The jackpot rose to $1.337 billion late Friday, up from an earlier estimate of $1.28 billion, lottery operators said.
If the holder chooses a lump-sum cash option, the ticket will yield a one-time payment of about $780 million. Otherwise, the nearly $1.34 billion prize will be spread over an initial payment and 29 annual payments.
Friday night's winning numbers were 13, 36, 45, 57, 67 and a Mega Ball of 14.
One ticket bought in Des Plaines hit the top prize in Friday night's drawing, according to the Illinois Lottery, securing the third-largest jackpot of any US lottery game and ending a buildup that began when Mega Millions last drew a jackpot winner in mid-April.
The winning ticket was purchased at a Speedway gas station in Des Plaines, roughly a 20-mile drive northwest of downtown Chicago, the Illinois Lottery said Saturday.
"We have not heard from the winner yet. We don't know whether ... they even know that they won a prize. So I encourage everybody to check your ticket," Illinois Lottery Director Harold Mays told reporters Saturday morning in Chicago.
The jackpot rose to $1.337 billion late Friday, up from an earlier estimate of $1.28 billion, lottery operators said.
If the holder chooses a lump-sum cash option, the ticket will yield a one-time payment of about $780 million. Otherwise, the nearly $1.34 billion prize will be spread over an initial payment and 29 annual payments.
Friday night's winning numbers were 13, 36, 45, 57, 67 and a Mega Ball of 14.
