Mega Millions jackpot winning ticket sold in Maine
Written by ABC Audio. All rights reserved. on January 15, 2023
(NEW YORK) — The winning numbers were drawn Friday night for the Mega Millions jackpot that has surged to $1.35 billion, the second-largest in the game’s history, and one ticket in Maine has matched all of the numbers to win.
The winning ticket was sold at the Hometown Gas & Grill in Lebanon, according to Maine Lottery. Lebanon is in southern Maine along the New Hampshire border.
“It’s fantastic,” Fred Cotreau, the owner of Hometown Gas & Grill, told ABC News.
“I am excited to find out who it is,” Cotreau said, adding that he hopes the winner is a local resident.
“Hopefully, he shows up in a Ferrari and continues to use my establishment for his convenience and gasoline needs,” Cotreau said with a laugh.
“We’re on somewhat of a busy road, so we really don’t know if it’s a local or out-of-stater. And regardless, I’m happy for them and hope money goes to good use,” he added.
The winning numbers were 30, 43, 45, 36, 61 and the megaball was 14.
The Mega Millions jackpot has now reset to $20 million for Tuesday’s drawing — which means there has been at least one ticket to match all numbers drawn, according to the Mega Millions website.
The Mega Millions jackpot was won by one person in Maine with 14 $2 million winners hailing from California, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas.
“Congratulations to the Maine State Lottery, which has just won its first-ever Mega Millions jackpot,” said Ohio Lottery Director Pat McDonald, Lead Director for the Mega Millions Consortium. “It’s the fourth billion-dollar jackpot in Mega Millions history. We thank all our retailers for their hard work during this spectacular run, and our customers for their enthusiasm and support. I hope the fun and excitement Mega Millions has generated inspires a winning attitude in our daily lives and towards everyone we meet. Here’s to a good year!”
The only Mega Millions jackpot larger than Friday’s prize is the $1.537 billion prize won in South Carolina on Oct. 23, 2018.
The prize is also now the fourth-largest jackpot in U.S. lottery history. Last November’s $2.04 billion prize, taken by a single winner in California, is the largest in U.S. history.The lump sum cash option payout for Friday’s drawing is $707.9 million — before taxes.
Tuesday night’s winning numbers were 7, 13, 14, 15 and 18 and the Mega Ball number was 9.
The most recent Mega Millions jackpot win was at $502 million, shared by winning tickets in California and Florida, on Oct.14.
While no one has claimed the top prize, there have been a total of almost 33.3 million winning tickets sold in the 25 drawings since the jackpot was last won.
Sixteen tickets matched the five white balls to win $1 million on Tuesday, while three people matched all five and played the multiplier to take home $3 million.
ABC News’ Peter Charalambous contributed to this report.
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