Georgia Ticket Wins $980 Million Mega Millions Jackpot

A single ticket sold in Georgia has won the estimated $980 million Mega Millions jackpot, marking one of the largest lottery prizes in the game’s history. The winning numbers drawn Friday were 1, 8, 11, 12, 57, and the Mega Ball 7. The jackpot is the eighth-largest ever for Mega Millions and ends a 40-drawing streak without a top prize winner.

The winning ticket was purchased at a Publix supermarket in Newnan, located about 40 miles southwest of Atlanta. For selling the winning ticket, the store will receive a $50,000 retailer bonus from the Georgia Lottery. Lottery officials said the lucky winner now holds the largest prize ever awarded in Georgia.

Winners have the option to receive the full $980 million in annual payments over 30 years or take a lump-sum cash payout estimated at $452.2 million before taxes. Georgia law allows lottery winners to remain anonymous for prizes of $250,000 or more if they submit a written request.

The drawing also delivered smaller prizes across the country. One ticket sold in Michigan won $3 million by matching all five white balls with the 3X multiplier. An additional 22 tickets matched four white balls and the Mega Ball, each winning $20,000.

This jackpot was the largest Mega Millions prize since the game’s overhaul in April, which raised ticket prices to $5 and boosted the starting jackpot to $50 million. The updated format places the odds of winning the top prize at roughly 1 in 290 million.

Mega Millions’ all-time record still stands at $1.6 billion, won by a single Florida ticket in August 2023.

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