(Newswire.net — July 10, 2016) —The Mega Millions jackpot draw was on Friday night and for the third time this year, it was won on the 8th day of the month. The past winners won on January 8th and March 8th. The lucky numbers drawn were 8, 19, 20, 55 i 73, plus the Mega Ball 5 and Megaplier 2.
A single ticket, sold in Indiana, matched all six numbers and won $536 million ($378 million cash), stated the Mega Millions website. They also reported that it’s the third biggest Mega Millions game ever, and the seventh largest jackpot in U.S. lottery history.
There were 10 match 5 winning tickets sold around the country. Seven are worth $1 million each – sold in Connecticut, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey and Oklahoma. Three included the optional Megaplier, so their tickets are worth $2 million each, sold in Colorado, Florida and Kansas
Paula Otto, Executive Director of the Virginia Lottery and Lead Director for the Mega Millions group, said on the Mega Millions website that it was a great four-month run, resulting in millions of dollars being generated for beneficiaries across the country
The other major multi-state lottery game – Powerball, produced two top 10 prizes in 2016, including a record jackpot of $1.586 billion in January.
Both games have nearly identical rules, but Powerball tickets are slightly more expensive.
Mega Millions is played in 44 states, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The nation was obsessed with lottery fever before the Mega Millions jackpot drawing on Friday night.
Chances of pulling the jackpot were one in 259 million due to sgnificant public and media interest that spurred an onslaught of new ticket buyers willing to try their luck. A grand prize winner has not been produced for about four months, causing this jackpot to swell to record levels.
The winner can choose to take the total jackpot in annual payments over 29 years or for a one-time payout of about $380 million minus taxes.
The largest jackpot in US lottery history was $656 million, which the lucky winner won in the Mega Millions in March 2012.