This Monday, December 23, a winner of the Mega Millions on March 26, having won $1.13 billion, finally collected his prize. This anonymous player now has the equivalent of a billion euros in his bank account.
“The ticket was drawn on March 26 at a Monmouth County ShopRite in Neptune Township and matched the winning numbers 07, 11, 22, 29 and 38 as well as the Gold Mega Ball number 04 and the multiplier number 02.” , announced the lottery in a press release.
Between the two American lotteries, Powerball and Mega Millions, more than 10 jackpots in the United States have exceeded a billion dollars since 2016, including three in 2024, according to the New York Times.
Amounts which can be explained by the fact that the last jackpot was won three and a half months ago. Since then, thirty draws have followed without a winner twice a week, inflating the winnings each time.
For the lucky winners, this entry into pharaonic money marks a radical change in life.
Luxurious homes and dream vacations
On November 7, 2022, Edwin Castro, a 31-year-old American, won the historic jackpot of $2 billion in the American Powerball lottery, thanks to a ticket purchased at Joe’s Service Center in Altadena, California.
Since then, the former architecture student has completely changed his way of living. Instead of opting for a payment spread over 30 years of his entire winnings, Edwin Castro chose a single lump sum payment of $997.6 million.
With this sum of money, the Californian first announced that he was determined to do “good things with his fortune”, before saying he was satisfied that $156 million taxed on his winnings would go directly to Californian public schools. .
In addition to his charitable acts, Edwin Castro later spent his money on personal pleasure. As early as January, the man was seen in luxury hotels on the Fiji Islands.
After this stay, the man decided to buy several real estate properties in California, notably in Hollywood, for the modest sum of 25.5 million dollars. His most expensive purchase will be a huge mansion with a panoramic view of Los Angeles purchased for $47 million.
In addition to these luxurious homes, Edwin Castro also purchased a vintage Porsche 911 for $250,000, according to the New York Post.
A sum to treat cancer
American lotteries are also often an opportunity to create great stories. On April 7, 2024, the Powerball drawing matched a ticket sold in Oregon to Cheng Saephan.
This man from Laos is the lucky winner of a lump sum, worth approximately $422 million after taxes. During a press conference, the man announced that he would share the sum with his wife and a family friend who had contributed to the purchase of a batch of tickets.
Suffering from a recurrence of cancer diagnosed eight years earlier, Cheng Saephan said he planned to use the money to buy a house and find a doctor to treat himself.
Anonymity often favored
For the rest of the winners of sums of more than a billion dollars, it is often complicated to find their traces. In fact, the majority choose to remain anonymous for greater peace of mind.
Winning the lottery in the United States remains extremely rare. Each player has a one in 302.5 million chance of winning the jackpot.
Original article published on BFMTV.com
