$1.34B Mega Millions lottery winner still hasn't come forward
Mega Millions winner in Illinois has one year to claim the prize
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The lucky Illinois ticket holder who won the $1.3 billion Mega Millions jackpot almost a month ago remains a mystery, even from organizers.
Mega Millions allows winners to remain anonymous if they so choose — most often to afford negative attention or unwanted solicitations for money.
However, the winning ticket for this month's historic jackpot has not been claimed at all.
"We don't know whether or not they even know that they won a prize," Harold Mays, director of Illinois' lottery, said in a Friday statement to The Guardian. "So, I encourage everybody to check your ticket."
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A Mega Millions jackpot winning ticket was purchased at a Speedway location in Des Plaines, Illinois, Friday, July 29, 2022. (Google Street View / Google Maps)
The winning ticket was sold at the Speedy Café Speedway gas station on East Touhy Avenue in Des Plaines, Illinois. The winning numbers were listed as 13, 36, 45, 57, 67 and the gold Mega ball was 14. The Megaplier was 2X.
Lottery officials are encouraging regular players to double-check their numbers.
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A man holds Mega Millions lottery tickets on July 29, 2022, in New York City. (John Smith/VIEWpress / Getty Images)
If the prize remains unclaimed for one year, the money will be returned to each state that participates in Mega Millions. The winner also has 60 days to decide whether to receive the money in a lump sum or annuity.
Individual states can have public disclosure laws that require the identity of winners to be published, but Illinois does not.
The Illinois lottery did not respond to multiple requests for comment from FOX Business.