The $1.3 billion Mega Millions lottery prize will be returned to the contributing states if not claimed within one year.
The winning ticket, with numbers 13-36-45-57-67, Mega Ball: 14, was purchased at a Safeway by a lucky customer in a Chicago suburb, though the jackpot currently remains unclaimed. According to Illinois law, the winner has 357 days remaining to come forward.
MEGA MILLIONS $1.3 BILLION GOLDEN TICKET SOLD IN ILLINOIS
Although the Safeway that sold the winning ticket will be given half a million dollars, a clerk working at the store told the Hill by phone that they had not yet been notified, only learning that they had sold the winning ticket from inquiring reporters.
If the holder of the ticket does not come forward within a year, the jackpot will be distributed back to the states that contributed to the game, according to the Mega Millions website. Currently, 45 different states, along with Washington, D.C., and the United States Virgin Islands, contribute to the game.
The currently unclaimed jackpot is the nation’s third largest, growing to such a size because no one had matched the numbers since April 15, which is 29 consecutive drawings without a winner. Drawings have now reset back to $20 million.
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The odds of winning the major prize are 1 in 302.5 million.
