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A single winner from Illinois, U.S., who won the $349 million Mega Millions® jackpot in the March 25 drawing, has officially come forward to claim their life-changing prize, announced the lottery company.

“We took a chance and bought a single Quick Pick ticket,” shared the lucky winner, nicknamed ‘Blessed.’ “We’re absolutely ecstatic and feel incredibly blessed. We plan to use this money to do good – this unbelievable prize will truly be the gift that keeps on giving.”

Mega Millions tickets are available for purchase by U.S. residents on the official www.MegaMillions.com lottery website.

International players can also participate in Mega Millions and other global lotteries through The Lotter website that allows individuals from various nationalities to play.

The jackpot for the tonight drawing on Friday, May 2,  is estimated at $80 million, with a cash option of $26 million.

The winning ticket was purchased at Casey’s General Store, located at 70 S. Somonauk Road in Cortland, Illinois. For selling the winning ticket, the retailer received a bonus of $500,000.

According to the Mega Million company, every ticket sold is also a big win for education in Illinois. With nearly $24 million in total ticket sales during the jackpot run, the lottery was able to return over $9 million to the Common School Fund to support K-12 education in Illinois.

Drawing will be conducted as usual at the WSB-TV studio in Atlanta, Georgia, at 11 p.m. ET. Soon afterward, the draw video will be available on the Mega Millions website.


Mega Millions tickets cost about $5 per play. Players may pick six numbers from two separate pools of numbers - five different numbers from 1 to 70 (the white balls) and one number from 1 to 25 (the gold Mega Ball) - or select Easy Pick/Quick Pick.
 

Players win the jackpot by matching all six winning numbers in a drawing. Also, there are a total of nine ways to win a prize in this lottery, ranging from the jackpot down to $5.


Mega Millions jackpot winner will have the choice of a Cash Option or an Annual Payout. Annuity option: Provides for an initial annual payment followed by 29 annual payments.

Another big jackpot this weekend is Powerball® scheduled for Saturday, May 3, with a jackpot of $44 million, or a cash option of $20 million.

Powerball tickets are also available to U.S. residents via the official lottery website www.PowerBall.com.

While international participants can play through The Lotter website.

This prize has also increased after no one matched all six numbers in the April 30 drawing. The winning numbers were 1, 2, 3, 57 and 59, with the Red Powerball 9 and a 2X Power Play multiplier.

Powerball drawings are broadcast live at 11 p.m. ET from the State of Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee. Drawings are also available on Powerball.com.

The jackpot grows until it is won. Players win a prize by matching one of the 9 ways to win. The jackpot is won by matching all five white balls in any order and the red Powerball.


Powerball costs about $2 per play. To play, people should select five numbers between 1 and 69 for the white balls, then select one number between 1 and 26 for the red Powerball. People can choose the numbers on a play slip or let the lottery terminal randomly pick the numbers.


Jackpot winners may choose to receive their prize as an annuity, paid in 30 graduated payments over 29 years, or a lump-sum payment. Both advertised prize options are before federal and jurisdictional taxes.

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The views or opinions expressed in this article are the sole and exclusive responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinion of A.M. Costa Rica.

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