The $1.5 billion Mega Millions jackpot has finally been claimed in South Carolina after 4 months
Someone in South Carolina finally got around to becoming nearly $900 million richer — and it only took them over four months.
The record-breaking $1.5 billion Mega Millions jackpot from October 2018 was finally claimed in South Carolina on Monday, CNN reports. The winner, who remains anonymous, took the lump sum payout and will receive $878 million. That's the biggest lottery jackpot ever collected by one person; a previous Powerball jackpot in 2016 was slightly larger, but it was split among three people.
Lottery winners in South Carolina have 180 days to claim their prize after the drawing date, meaning the deadline to come forward was next month. The State reported in December that the winner still hadn't claimed the money yet, with an official for the South Carolina Lottery Commission saying at the time, "This is unusual, considering that it's $1.5 billion."
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If no one had claimed the prize within six months, the jackpot would have been divided among the 44 states where Mega Millions is played based on sales. Now that the prize has been claimed, South Carolina will receive $61 million in income taxes on the payout, while the store that sold the winning ticket will receive $50,000.
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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
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