The chase for the second-largest Mega Millions jackpot has ended — with a single ticket sold in the Chicago area for the whole $1.337 billion.
One ticket bought in Des Plaines hit the top prize in Friday night’s drawing, according to the Illinois Lottery, securing the third-largest jackpot of any US lottery game and ending a buildup that began when Mega Millions last drew a jackpot winner in mid-April.
The winning ticket was purchased at a Speedway gas station in Des Plaines, roughly a 20-mile drive northwest of downtown Chicago, the Illinois Lottery said Saturday.
They did not hear from the winner yet. It is not even known if they know they won a prize.
The jackpot rose to $1.337 billion late Friday, up from an earlier estimate of $1.28 billion.
If the holder chooses a lump-sum cash option, the ticket will yield a one-time payment of about $780 million. Otherwise, the nearly $1.34 billion prize will be spread over an initial payment and 29 annual payments.
The winning numbers were 13, 36, 45, 57, 67 and a Mega Ball of 14.
The ticket holder has the chance to wait a year from the drawing to claim the prize, and can choose to withhold his or her name from the public.
After the largest ever Mega Millions jackpot of $1.537 billion won by a single ticket sold in South Carolina in 2018, this is the second-largest jackpot for any US lottery game, and it’s the world’s largest lottery prize won by just one ticket, according to Mega Millions.
Some other ticket holders also won some sizable prizes Friday.
Twenty-six tickets won a secondary prize of at least $1 million because they matched the first five numbers.
Six of the 26 tickets won $2 million because the buyers matched not only the first five numbers, but also paid an additional $1 to activate the game’s “multiplier,” which elevates non-jackpot prizes.