A lucky winner beat the odds and won the $1.3 billion Mega Millions jackpot.
According to megamillions.com, there was one winning ticket in the drawing Friday night, and it was bought in Illinois at a Speedway in Des Plaines, Illinois, according to Mega Millions officials who held a press conference on Saturday. The winner will receive $780.5 million cash, and the retailer will receive a half million dollar bonus, Mega Millions officials said.
The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302.5 million. The winner has yet to come forward, but has 12 months to claim their prize and 60 days to choose if they want to take the cash option.
Some of the money - $26 million - comes back to the state of Illinois to help fund schools. It's the second largest jackpot in the 20-year-history of the game, topped by the $1.5 billion won in South Carolina in October of 2018. It is also the largest jackpot in Illinois history.
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.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The game is coordinated by state lotteries.
The next drawing will be held on Tuesday, with a jackpot of $20 million.
