Winner of $1.35B Mega Millions jackpot comes forward to claim reward
This $1.35B Mega Millions jackpot is fourth largest in US history
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The winner of a $1.35 billion Mega Millions jackpot has come forward to accept their winnings, according to Maine lottery officials.
The Maine State Lottery said Tuesday that while the winner remains anonymous, they have chosen to collect the cash option through the limited liability company LaKoma Island Investments, LLC.
The one-time, lump-sum payment amounts to $723,564,144 before taxes.
"The winner is thoughtfully considering the best uses of the life-changing prize," a representative for the winner said in a statement.
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A Mega Millions sign displays the estimated jackpot of $1.35 billion at the Cranberry Super Mini Mart in Cranberry, Pennsylvania, on Jan. 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File / AP Images)
State officials said that the winner had the option of coming forward in person with the winning ticket or remaining anonymous through a trust.
The winning ticket was purchased for the Jan. 13 drawing at the Hometown Gas & Grill in Lebanon, Maine.
The store received a $50,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.
People buy lottery tickets at the Lotto Store at Primm just inside the California border near Primm, Nevada, on Jan. 13, 2023. (AP Photo/John Locher / AP Newsroom)
Owner Fred Cotreau said he still had no idea who held the winning ticket.
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"We're going to wait and see if it's a local. Who knows? Sometimes they come to the store and say thank you, but I’m not going to lose any sleep over it," he told The Associated Press.
Cotreau shared half of the store's proceeds for selling the winning ticket with his employees.
A person plays Mega Millions lottery at a store in San Mateo, California, on Jan. 12, 2023. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Maine Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages & Lottery Operations Deputy Director Michael Boardman told the AP that the wire transfer of the winner's money will take place before the end of the week.
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"We congratulate the winner of the Mega Millions jackpot and wish them all the best as they consider how to best use their recent winnings," he said in a release.
The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302.6 million. This jackpot was the fourth-largest in U.S. history.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.