One lucky Florida lottery player is now a billionaire after officials declared one winning ticket was sold for Tuesday’s Mega Millions drawing, which had an estimated jackpot of $1.58 billion. It was the largest Mega Millions jackpot in the game’s history.
Florida Lottery officials announced the winning Quick Pick ticket was sold at a Publix in Neptune Beach. The winning numbers were 13, 19, 20, 32 and 33, and the Mega Ball was 14. Florida Mega Millions jackpot winners have 180 days from the date of the drawing to claim their prizes, unless the winner elects a one-time cash payment. In that case, the claim must be filed within 60 days.
The Mega Millions jackpot was growing for the past three months. The last jackpot winner occurred April 18, when a ticket holder walked away with $20 million.
A ticket sold in Florida also won $2 million in Tuesday’s drawing by matching the first five numbers and playing the optional Megaplier. That ticket was sold at a Kwik Stop in Hollywood.
In January 2016, the Nickel 95 Trust from Florida claimed one of three winning tickets for a $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot, the second-highest lottery prize in US history. Trustee Maureen Smith, 70, purchased the winning entry at a Publix in Melbourne Beach.
Largest lottery payouts in US history
| AMOUNT | GAME | DATE | WINNING STATE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. $2.04 billion | Powerball | Nov. 7, 2022 | California |
| 2. $1.586 billion | Powerball | Jan. 13, 2016 | California, Florida and Tennessee |
| 3. $1.58 billion | Mega Millions | Aug. 8, 2023 | Florida |
| 4. $1.537 billion | Mega Millions | Oct. 23, 2018 | South Carolina |
| 5. $1.348 billion | Mega Millions | Jan. 13, 2023 | Maine |
| 6. $1.337 billion | Mega Millions | July 29, 2022 | Illinois |
| 7. $1.08 billion | Powerball | July 19, 2023 | California |
| 8. $1.05 billion | Mega Millions | Jan. 22, 2021 | Michigan |
| 9. $768.4 million | Powerball | March 27, 2019 | Wisconsin |
| 10. $758.7 million | Powerball | Aug. 23, 2017 | Massachusetts |
Tuesday’s Mega Millions jackpot was the third-largest in US lottery history. In October 2018, one ticket purchased in South Carolina claimed the previous highest-ever payout for Mega Millions at $1.537 billion. Including Tuesday’s jackpot, the Mega Millions jackpot has topped $1 billion five times. The game also topped that mark in October 2018, January 2021, July 2022 and January 2023.
A Powerball jackpot in November tops the most-ever money awarded in US history – $2.04 billion. That game also topped $1 billion two weeks ago.
The odds of winning a Mega Millions jackpot are about 1 in 302.6 million, and the overall odds of winning any Mega Millions prize across all tiers are close to 1 in 24.
