One ticket sold in the Chicago region for the entire $1.337 billion, ending the race for the second-largest Mega Millions prize.
According to the Illinois Lottery, one ticket purchased in Des Plaines won the top reward in Friday night’s drawing, clinching the third-largest jackpot of any US lottery game and capping a buildup that started when Mega Millions’ last jackpot winner was drawn in mid-April.
“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 ticket will result in a one-time payment of nearly $780 million if the buyer selects the lump-sum cash option.
Otherwise, the award will be paid out in 29 annual installments totaling around $1.34 billion.
The winning numbers on Friday night were 13, 36, 45, 57, 67, and a Mega Ball of 14.
According to Mays, the Speedway gas station in Des Plaines will earn $500,000 for selling the winning ticket.
The ticket winner has one year from the drawing to collect the award and has the option of keeping his or her identity a secret, according to Mays.
In Illinois, lottery winners who have won more than $250,000 can request that their identity and place of residence remain private.
