Mega Millions $640 million lottery jackpot

 

The largest lottery jackpot in history, $640 million (£400 million), has been won by a ticket holder in Maryland, and officials were waiting early on Saturday to see if there are other winning tickets.

 

Maryland lottery officials announced that a winning ticket was purchased at a store in Baltimore County, though they had not identified the winner yet.

 

Some 625 million tickets were expected to have been sold, more than two for every American resident.

 

The odds of winning – at 176 million-to-one

 

Long queues snaked out of corner stores as buyers lined up to try their chances.

 

A single winner could claim yearly payments or a one-time cash option of $462 million, Mega Millions spokeswoman Kelly Cripe said.
The previous largest Mega Millions jackpot was $390 million in 2007, and was split between two ticket holders in Georgia and New Jersey.
About half of the lottery money is paid out to ticket holders in the form of winnings, 35 percent to state governments and 15 percent to retailer commissions and lottery operating expenses.

Maryland ticket holder claims share of $656M Mega Millions lottery jackpot

Three winning tickets were sold across USA and a Maryland woman, Haitian immigrant Mirlande Wilson(37) said she had the ticket, then alternately claimed she had lost it and had hidden it inside the McDonald's restaurant where she works. Her attorney, who admitted he couldn't back up her story, said she wanted to be left alone.

Maryland's winner bought the ticket at a 7-Eleven store in Milford Mill outside Baltimore. That person will split the prize with winners in Illinois and Kansas

Lottery officials increased the final jackpot to $656 million after tallying sales from the 44 state lotteries.

 

  Three tickets shared the record $640 million (£404 million) lottery prize, which can be taken in a heavily-taxed lump sum of $105 million (£66 million) or spread out in annual payments of $5.56 million (£3.6 million).
The owner of a second winning ticket in Kansas has now come forward to claim their share prize, while the third winner, who bought the ticket in the small town of Red Bud, Illinois, is also yet to claim their millions. They have until Sept 28,2012 to do so.