Mega Millions $1.3B winner's identity still a mystery
Under Illinois lottery rules, winners with prizes over $250,000 can collect their jackpot anonymously
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The lucky Illinois ticket holder who won the $1.3 billion Mega Millions jackpot on Friday night remains a mystery as the fortune sits thus far uncollected.
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 last week's historic jackpot has not been claimed at all.
Lottery officials are encouraging regular players to double-check their numbers.
"Congratulations to the Illinois Lottery for selling the winning ticket for the $1.337 billion Mega Millions jackpot," Ohio Lottery Director Pat McDonald said in a statement. "We are thrilled to have witnessed one of the biggest jackpot wins in Mega Millions history."
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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.
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Individual states can have public disclosure laws that require the identity of winners to be published, but Illinois does not.
A lottery ticket vending machine sits a convenience store, July 21, 2022, in Northbrook, Ill. The next Mega Millions drawing is Tuesday, July 25, 2022 with a jackpot at $790 million. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, file / AP Newsroom)
"If your prize is $250,000 or greater, you may request to keep your name and municipality of residence confidential by indicating that choice on the Illinois Lottery Winner Claim Form," according to Illinois Lottery rules.
The regulations continue, "You must make this request at the time of claiming the prize. If you do not, to assure the public that prizes are won and awarded, the Illinois Lottery will routinely publish winner information, including the winner’s name, home city, and the amount won.
The Mega Millions lottery game is played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The game is coordinated by state lotteries.