As the Mega Millions jackpot continues to climb – it’s now more than $1 billion – Delawareans across the state are willing to wait in slow-moving lines at convenience stores to purchase tickets.
For one Greenwood man, a recent spur-of-the-moment stop at a Bridgeville Royal Farms paid off in a big way, with a $3 million ticket.
The 36-year-old, who asked Delaware Lottery officials to remain anonymous, bought the ticket ahead of last Friday’s drawing. When he scanned it earlier this week, he found he’d matched all five numbers, as well as the 3x Megaplier.
“I was just showing my wife how easy it is to use the self-service kiosk,” said the man, who has been playing Delaware Lottery Draw Games once a week for years but usually plays Multi-Win Lotto. He’s won $500 or $600 prizes from there before, he told lottery officials.
READ:If you win the $1 billion Mega Millions jackpot, here’s what you need to know
“We saw how big the jackpot was for Mega Millions and decided to give it a try,” he said. “…I never expected anything like this.”
The man told Delaware Lottery officials his first reaction was “utter disbelief.” He’d “kind of forgotten” about the ticket, he said, so when he scanned it, he “thought there had to be a mistake.”
When he checked it with the cashier, his luck was confirmed: He’d won $3 million, before taxes.
“I still can’t believe it,” the man said, adding that he plans to pay off his mortgage with his winnings. He also said that retirement “definitely just got a little closer.”
Check Mega Millions numbers
The winning numbers in Tuesday’s drawing were 7, 29, 60, 63, and 66 and the Mega Ball number was 15. The Megaplier number was 3.
With nobody matching all six numbers Tuesday, the Mega Millions jackpot has now reached $1.02 billion, meaning the cash option – the amount a jackpot winner would receive if they chose a single, lump-sum payment – is $602.5 million. The next drawing is Friday.
Still, the current pot is far from the highest jackpot ever recorded.
The record jackpot of $1.5 billion, won in South Carolina in October 2018, remains the largest lottery prize ever won on a single ticket worldwide, according to the Mega Millions website.
The single chance of matching all Mega Millions six numbers is roughly 1 in 303 million. Prior to Tuesday’s drawing, the pot was $830 million.
Got a story tip or idea? Send to Isabel Hughes at ihughes@delawareonline.com. For all things breaking news, follow her on Twitter at @izzihughes_
