Mega Millions Winner Comes Forward, Takes Cash Option on $983 Million Jackpot
The fortunate Mega Millions jackpot winner from last November has emerged in Georgia.
One ticket from a Publix supermarket in Newman, Georgia, matched the winning numbers of 1, 8, 11, 12, 57, and the gold Mega Ball 7 during the Mega Millions drawing on November 14. The ticket received a $983 million annuitized reward or a $453.6 million one-time cash option. The prize represented the 15th largest lottery prize in the history of the United States.
The Georgia Lottery revealed on Tuesday that the winner had chosen the lump cash option and redeemed the generation-changing prize. After paying state and federal taxes, the winner received about $262.7 million. The reward is the biggest lottery payout in Georgia's history.
"We are thrilled to celebrate Georgia’s record-breaking jackpot winner and their life-changing start to the new year,” said Gretchen Corbin, president and CEO of the Georgia Lottery.
According to Corbin, the lottery's proceeds support Georgia's Pre-K Program and the state's HOPE Scholarship Program, making the unprecedented jackpot important for Georgian students, families, and communities.
The winner is still unknown
Georgia’s lottery statute permits winners of jackpots above $250K to remain anonymous. They are permanent permanent permanent.
The winner gave the Georgia Lottery some information on how they intended to utilize the money, even though they wanted to keep their identity private. According to lottery authorities, the winner intends to "be generational"—that is, to save the money for future generations. Additionally, the winner is "thankful to be in a position to give" and intends to "give back to good causes."
The $453.6 million pre-tax cash award considerably eclipsed the previous record for the highest lottery win in Georgia, a $230.6 million share of a Powerball jackpot in October 2024.
The Publix supermarket that sold the winning Mega Millions ticket, shop #1816 at 4000 N. Highway 29 in Newnan, won a $50K incentive bonus from the Georgia Lottery.
Officials in Arkansas Await
In Arkansas, the lottery is anxiously awaiting the winner of the $1.817 billion jackpot won on Christmas Eve to come forward.One ticket purchased in Arkansas won the Powerball jackpot, which included a cash choice of $834.9 million. Winners of the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery have 180 days from the draw date to claim their prize.
The lottery law in Arkansas also permits winners to keep their identities secret for three years before they are made public. The triumphant Powerball ticket was purchased at the Murphy USA gas station located within the Walmart Supercenter in Cabot. The numbers that won were 4, 25, 31, 52, 59, along with the red Powerball 19.
The $1.817 billion lottery prize marked the second-biggest victory in US history.
