Lucky lottery player becomes a billionaire overnight after massive jackpot win

14 January 2023 , 09:52

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The massive jackpot win is the fourth largest in US history (Image: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

A lucky jackpot winner has become a billionaire overnight after a massive US lottery win.

The single ticketholder - who has yet to be identified - picked up a life-changing £1.1billion in the US Mega Millions draw after three months of rollovers.

The winning numbers were: 30, 43, 45, 46, 61 and gold Mega Ball 14.

It is the fourth-largest jackpot win in US history, and organisers have confirmed the winning ticket was purchased in the state of Maine.

Pat McDonald, lead director for the Mega Millions Consortium, said: “Congratulations to the Maine State Lottery, which has just won its first-ever Mega Millions jackpot.

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The winning ticket was purchased in the state of Maine (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

“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."

The only jackpot larger than last night's prize was a whopping £1.3 billion won in South Carolina in October 2018, ABC News reports.

The site also says the next grand prize will be for 20 million dollars (£16.3 million) and the cash option will be 10.7 million dollars (£8.7 million), indicating there was a winner of the estimated 1.35 billion-dollar prize.

Mega Millions officials did not immediately release a statement about the jackpot winner.

The 1.35 billion dollar grand prize is for a winner who takes an annuity with annual payments over 29 years.

Winners almost always choose the cash option, which for Friday night's drawing was an estimated 724.6 million dollars (£593.4 million).

There had been 25 draws in a row without a jackpot winner, but that streak ended with someone beating the odds of one in 302.6 million to take the top prize.

Mega Millions is played in 45 states as well as Washington, DC and the US Virgin Islands.

Dave Burke