The winner of the Mega Millions jackpot last month still has not claimed their prize.
On July 29th, a lucky player won the massive $1.34 billion jackpot. The prize winner bought the winning ticket at a Speedway gas station in Des Plaines, Illinois.
It marks the largest lottery ever won in Illinois and the third largest lottery won in the United States. However, the lucky winner has not claimed their earnings just yet.
Lottery players that win over $250,000 have the option to stay anonymous, but the Illinois Lottery Director believes the individual probably doesn’t even know they’re the winner.
“For a prize of this magnitude, it’s not unusual for the winner to take a while to claim. I’m sure they’re going through a range of emotions,” the Illinois Lottery Director says.
But what happens if the person never comes forward to claim their prize? Well, the winners have an entire year to claim the money. However, they only have 60 days from the draw date to decide if they want to be paid $1.34 billion over 29 years or a lump sum of $780 million cash.
The gas station owner who sold the winning ticket is entitled to receive a cash bonus of $500,000.
“Nothing makes us happier than bringing a little bit of joy to our customers’ lives – or in this case, a whole lot of joy!” Michael Browning, Regional Director for Speedway, says.
As for now, the Speedway workers are not revealing who they believe the lucky winner could be.
