The jackpot had not been won since April. ANGELA WEISS / AFP
A lucky resident of Florida has pocketed a record jackpot… which he will only receive in full if he chooses to spread the payments over 30 years.
A lottery ticket bought at the supermarket made a Florida resident a billionaire. The “Mega Millions” jackpot, an American lottery, which had reached a record sum of 1.58 billion dollars (1.44 billion euros), was won on Tuesday August 8 by a resident of the southern state. -East of the country, according to the site of the game.
The takeout prize pool, which starts at $20 million, grows every time no one has ticked all the right numbers. And it had been going on since April, leading to surpassing the 2018 record win of $1.537 billion, won in South Carolina…if the winner chooses the correct payment option.
The amount divided by two for immediate payment
The “Mega Millions” offers winners two ways to pocket their winnings, in annuities or in “cash”. To receive the full jackpot, or $ 1.58 billion, you must choose the first option, which spreads the payment of the sum over 30 years. According to the organizer, this allows “protect the winner’s lifestyle and purchasing power in times of inflation“, each annuity being higher than the preceding one. If he wishes to receive the loot now, in one go, the gain is actually “only” 783.3 million dollars (713 million euros), as specified during the game.
This impressive jackpot – our Euro Millions is capped at 250 million euros, which is already rather comfortable -, if it is a record for the “Mega Millions”, does not however beat the absolute record of American lotteries. It is still owned by a Californian, who won 2.04 billion dollars (1.86 billion euros) at the “Powerball” at the end of 2022. He had begun spending the sum by donating $150 million to public schools in the state.
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