Winner of biggest Mega Millions jackpot in history comes forward in Florida

The winner of the largest jackpot in Mega Millions history has come forward to claim their prize, lottery officials confirmed Thursday.

The winner of the record-breaking ticket, worth $1.6 billion, came forward in Florida this week almost two months after buying the ticket on Aug. 8 at a Publix grocery store in Neptune Beach, a coastal city east of Jacksonville.

The lucky winner is truly lucky. If they had bought the life-changing ticket just about 250 feet away at a new Publix next door to the one where the winning ticket was purchased their day would have been about $1.6 billion less exciting.

Florida lottery officials told USA TODAY that the person came forward on Monday but did not release any other details, including whether they will opt for a lump sum or an annual payout. The winner has 90 days from Monday to remain anonymous.

The previous largest Mega Millions jackpot in the game's 21-year history was $1.5 billion. That ticket was sold on Oct. 23, 2018, in Simpsonville, South Carolina

Here's more to know about Mega Millions grand prizes:

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Can Florida lottery winners remain anonymous?

According to Florida Lottery's website, winners cannot remain anonymous: "Florida law mandates that the Florida Lottery provide records containing information such as the winner's name, city of residence; game won, date won, and amount won to any third party who requests the information."

But since May 25, 2022, the "names of lottery winners claiming prizes of $250,000 or greater will be temporarily exempt from public disclosure for 90 days from the date the prize is claimed, unless otherwise waived by the winner."

How long has Mega Millions rolled over?

This series of rollovers started Aug. 18, when the jackpot was $20 million. Here's a snapshot of how high the jackpots have climbed in so short a time.

• Friday, Sept. 29, 2023: $267 million
• Friday, Sept. 22: $205 million
• Tuesday, Sept. 19: $183 million
• Friday, Sept. 15: $162 million
• Tuesday, Sept. 12: $141 million
• Friday, Sept. 8: $122 million
• Tuesday, Sept. 5, $101 million
• Friday, Sept. 1: $85 million
• Tuesday, Aug. 29: $67 million
• Friday, Aug. 25: $52 million
• Tuesday, Aug. 22: $33 million
• Friday, Aug. 18: $20 million

More:Man who won $5M from Colorado Lottery couldn't wait to buy watermelon and flowers for his wife

When do Florida lottery tickets expire?

Prizes for Florida Lottery must be claimed within 180 days (six months) from the date of the drawing. To claim a single-payment cash option, a winner has within the first 60 days after the applicable draw date to claim it.

Florida Lottery says its scratch-off tickets and Fast Play game prizes "must be claimed within 60 days of the official end-of-game date. Once the applicable time period has elapsed, the related Florida Lottery ticket will expire."

What happens to unclaimed Mega Millions prize money?

Should a Mega Millions ticket not be claimed within 180 days of the drawing date, "the funds to pay the unclaimed jackpot will be returned to the lottery members in their proportion of sales for the jackpot rollover series."

According to the Florida Lottery, state law requires 80% of unclaimed prize funds from expired tickets be transferred to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund. The remaining 20% is returned to the prize pool for future drawings.

What are the odds of winning Mega Millions?

According to the Mega Millions website, you have a one in 302,575,350 chance to match all five white balls plus the gold Mega Ball. Prizes range from $2 (for matching the Mega Ball) to the grand prize jackpot, which can top $1 billion.

What are the Top 10 largest Mega Millions jackpots ever?

According to its website, here are the top 10 Mega Millions jackpots as of Sept. 26, 2023:

• 10. $533 million — March 30, 2018, New Jersey
• 9. $536 million — July 8, 2016; Indiana
• 8. $543 million — July 24, 2018, California
• 7. $648 million — Dec. 17, 2013, California and Georgia
• 6. $656 million — March 30, 2012, Illinois, Kansas and Maryland
• 5. $1.05 billion — Jan. 22, 2021, Michigan
• 4. $1.337 billion — July 29, 2022, Illinois
• 3. $1.348 billion — Jan. 13, 2023, Maine
• 2. $1.537 billion — Oct. 23, 2018, South Carolina
• 1. $1.602 billion — Aug. 8, 2023, Florida