05 June 2023 , 19:46
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The winner of a record-setting $476 million (£382.894 million) Mega Millions jackpot has been identified.
71-year-old Johnnie Taylor of Howard Beach in Queens has been named as the lucky winner who took home the record breaking prize.
He opted to take the cash value of the prize, which equates to a lump sum payment of $157,288,402 (£126,522,790) after required state and federal witholding.
Johnnie has recently retired from his job as a building handyman in Manhattan and plans to use the money to travel, buy a new home, and replace his 2012 Prius with a newer model.
He's also planning to donate some of his winnings to his local church.
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Johnnie Taylor has won $476MILLION"It still doesn't feel real", he said. Johnnie went on to say his wife didn't believe him when he told her he had won the jackpot.
To prove it to her, he went online to show her that the numbers on his ticket matched all the winning numbers from the draw on April 14, 2023.
The numbers for the draw were 23, 27, 41, 48, and 51 with Mega Ball 22.
Johnnie tends to buy his tickets at Liberty Beer and Convenience in Queens which is near his local subway station.
As a result of selling the jackpot-winning ticket, the convenience store will receive a $10,000 bonus from the New York Lottery.
Johnnie regularly plays Mega Millions and Powerball quick pick tickets and adds the multiplier when jackpots rise to $100 million (£80.4 million). One play costs $2 (£1.61), while one play with a megaplier multiplier costs $3 (£2.41).
Mega Millions sign and lottery tickets are seen at a store in New York, United States on January 12, 2023. (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)New York State Gaming Commission Chairman Brian O'Dwyer said: "The New York Lottery congratulates Mr Taylor on winning this historic jackpot, the same for which brought millions of dollars to New York's public schools and lottery retailers across the state."
Ticket sales leading up to the record-setting jackpot brought a boost for New York State's Aid to Education, Lottery retailers and players.
The jackpot rolled over 21 times ahead of the April 14 drawing, which generated more than $21 million for education, $4.1 million in commissions for retailers and $10.4 million in non-jackpot winnings for players.
The previous New York State record Mega Millions win was $437 million jackpot which was sold in Huntington in 2019. The next Mega Millions drawing is set to take place on Tuesday, June 6 with a jackpot of $218 million.
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Players choose five numbers from 1 to 70 and one number from 1 to 25 for the Mega Ball. To win, players must match the six numbers on their ticket to the six-number combination drawn - the five numbers plus the Mega Ball.
Players can either select their own numbers, filling out the playslip, or use Quick Pick where the computer choose random numbers. Then it's a case of watching the drawings, which air on Tuesdays and Fridays at 11pm local time (4am UK time), to see if they've won.