The winner of a $1.13billion Mega Millions jackpot that is the fifth-largest prize in the history of the lottery game has come forward nine months later.
A New Jersey resident who was the lone jackpot winner has submitted the ticket to start collecting the money, NBC New York reported on Monday.
The person picked the winning numbers 7, 11, 22, 29, 38 and the gold Mega Ball 4 after purchasing a ticket at a ShopRite in Neptune in March.
It was not a quick pick ticket. The odds for winning were one in 302,575,350.
It is also the eighth-largest amount in American lottery history.
The winner has opted for the lump sum prize, which is about $537million before taxes.
Meanwhile, the public may never know who the winner is, because the individual has chosen to stay anonymous.
Governor Phil Murphy in 2020 signed a bill into law letting winner stay anonymous as long as they wish. A player must only prove their identity to lottery officials. Prior to that, they were required to step forward publicly in order to claim their winnings.
The supermarket on Route 66 will receive $30,000 for selling the lucky ticket.
ShopRite’s CEO said the store will donate the funds to a food bank serving Monmouth and Ocean Counties, according to CBS News.
It comes weeks after a man sued the California Lottery claiming he is entitled to the other half of a $394million jackpot because the second winner did not come forward by the claiming deadline. The plaintiff, Faramarz Lahijani, argues that he purchased two tickets with the same winning numbers at a Chevron gas station in Encino and that he lost the second one.
Also in mid-December, a Powerball player who won a $256million jackpot from buying a ticket at a supermarket in the Queens borough of New York City. The winner did not immediately claim the prize.
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