A player in Illinois has won $5 million from the Mega Millions jackpot, and while they missed the eye-watering $800-million grand prize, one of the largest on record, the winner, whoever they are, will have enough funds to enjoy themselves.
As $800M Jackpot Drops, One Illinois Player Is Set to Scoop $5M
The still-anonymous winner managed to match the numbers 34, 48, 49, 59 and 70, but missed the Mega Millions number. However, they still hit a 5x multiplier, turning their $1-million award into a $5-million payout.
The Illinois Lottery was happy to provide further details, including the fact that the ticket was bought at Road Ranger at 1311 Carolyn Dr. in Minonk, Illinois.
The venue is also going to receive a bonus for selling the ticket, and the fee is calculated on the total amount payable to the player; i.e. the 5x multiplier means that the shop too will receive $50,000.
The winner will have one year from the time of the drawing to scoop up their prize, with the lottery naturally encouraging habitual and casual players to keep a close watch on their tickets as, one of those days, they may be worth millions.
This ties into the larger Illinois lottery jackpot narrative, as a man previously won $1,000,000 after he witnessed a colleague win $10,000.The man missed out on that payout, but scooped a seven-figure prize not too long after.