A ticket-holder in Illinois is the big winner in the Mega Millions jackpot, the second largest prize in the game’s history at $1.28 billion, according to the game’s website.
The jackpot winner beat the odds of 1 in 302.5 million to collect the top prize, according to the Associated Press.
Local jackpot hopefuls bought tickets in droves this week, some saying they’d help family if they won while others fantasized about planning trips. Some tickets sold in Pennsylvania won large prizes of up to $1 million, according to Mega Millions. Millions of others won much smaller prizes ranging from $2 to $500.
The winning numbers were: 13-36-45-57-67, Mega Ball: 14.
The jackpot started growing in April and continued its upward climb over the months since after no ticket matched all of the numbers, the AP reported. The largest Mega Millions jackpot ever was drawn was in 2018 for $1.537 billion. A ticket-holder in South Carolina won that prize, according to the game’s website.
The next drawing will be Tuesday for a $20 million jackpot.
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