A single ticket bought in a Chicago suburb beat the odds and won a $1.337 billion Mega Millions jackpot.
According to megamillions.com, there was one jackpot-winning ticket in the draw Friday night, and it was bought at a Speedway gas station and convenience store in Des Plaines.
The winning numbers were: 13-36-45-57-67, Mega Ball: 14.
“We are thrilled to have witnessed one of the biggest jackpot wins in Mega Millions history,” Ohio Lottery Director Pat McDonald, the current Lead Director for the Mega Millions Consortium, said in a statement on the lottery’s website. “We’re eager to find out who won and look forward to congratulating the winner soon!”
The jackpot was the nation’s third-largest lottery prize. It grew so large because no one had matched the game’s six selected numbers since April 15. That’s 29 consecutive draws without a jackpot winner.
Lottery officials had estimated the winning take at $1.28 billion but revised the number up to $1.337 billion on Saturday.
A ‘lotto’ local dreams
Earlier this week, when the jackpot was a ‘mere’ $830 million, people flocked to local convenience stores to pick up their tickets.
Nam was out late Tuesday night in Clarkesville picking up his tickets. It was the first time he had played the lottery in 25 years. He said it was the then- already big number that drew him.
“$830 million and I’ll spend under $20, so, that’s a good return,” he told Now Habersham.
Melissa Blackwell and Deon Sailem are the Clarkesville Texaco store clerks who sold Nam his Mega Millions tickets. Both say lottery tickets have been their biggest seller this week.
“A lot of people been came in buying tickets. It’s mostly been Mega – a whole lot of Mega lately,” said Sailem.
“I could have just camped out right there at the [lottery] machine,” said Blackwell.
While no one won the mega jackpot on Tuesday, it’s still fun to dream. Nam said he would buy a boat, give some away, and save the rest if he won. Tripp Williams and Hunter Youngblood both had similar plans.
Williams said he’d “Buy me a bass boat,” and after a moment added, “Have my own lake.”
Youngblood, too, said he’d “Buy me a bass boat and a nice house for my parents.”
