Florida lottery winner claims $2.2b prize, but identity still secret

Florida lottery winner claims $2.2b prize, but identity still secret
The display in a store shows the Mega Millions lottery jackpot at $1.55 billion in New York City, US, Aug 8, 2023.
PHOTO: Reuters file

The second-largest lottery winner in US history has come forward to claim the US$1.6 billion (S$2.2 billion) prize, but the person's identity may remain a secret for another 90 days, the Florida Lottery said on Wednesday (Sept 27).

The Mega Millions jackpot was claimed on Monday, seven weeks after the Aug 8 drawing, Florida Lottery said in a statement. Florida is one of 45 states plus Washington, DC, and the US Virgin Islands to participate in Mega Millions.

The lottery went for 31 twice-weekly drawings without a winner until a ticket buyer at a Publix supermarket in Neptune Beach, about 24 km east of Jacksonville, matched all six numbers.

Mega Millions said the US$1.602 billion jackpot was the largest in its history, topping a US$1.537 billion prize that was won in South Carolina in 2018.

That would rank it second behind the record set in the rival Powerball lottery, which was a US$2.04 billion jackpot for a ticket sold in California in November 2022, according to Powerball's website.

The Florida Mega Millions winner will have the option of claiming the full amount paid in a 30-year annuity or taking a lump sum of US$794.2 million cash, according to the Mega Millions website. Winnings are taxed.

Under Florida law, lottery winners who claim prizes of US$250,000 or more do not have to reveal their identities publicly until 90 days after the prize is claimed.

For a US$2 ticket, the odds of winning the jackpot are about one in 300 million.

ALSO READ: US Mega Millions jackpot reaches estimated $2.1b

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