The biggest jackpot ever, the $656 million US lottery jackpot on Mega Millions, got hit on March 30, and according to the official confirmations, by three winning tickets - bought in Milford Mill, Maryland, near Baltimore, Red Bud in southern Illinois and a store in northeastern Kansas.
It has been specified that the three lucky winners will share the jackpot, and that the retail sellers will each get around $100 000. The winners were able to either choose a one-time payment of their share or 26 annual installment payments. If they take the installments option, the three tickets would each worth more than $213 million before taxes, but if they take the money in a lump sum, they'll receive about $105.1 million per winner.
The will be a significant sum for the US coffers as well, since lottery winnings of more than $5,000 are subject to a 25-percent federal withholding tax.
The big draw apparently saw over a billion tickets sold, lottery officials said, adding that at least two of the winners' tickets were "quick picks" - meaning all six numbers of the Mega Millions lottery computer selected the lucky numbers announced at the drawing Friday night in Atlanta: 2-4-23-38-46 and Mega Ball 23.
To make things better, the lottery announced another three big winners, who held tickets that matched the Mega Ball number, winning $1 million each, and 158 tickets that picked five of the six chosen numbers to win $250,000 each.
Your feedback
Please enter your comment.
Your comment is added.