The first jackpots of the new year together topped $1B. Fortunately, for two ticket holders, the billion dollar weekend has come to an end. The total of the Mega Millions and PowerBall was the third largest in the history of the games.
A single $2-ticket won the entire $450M of the Mega Millions on Friday, Jan. 5, 2018. The ticket was sold at a 7-Eleven in the small, suburban city of Port Richey, Florida, which is near Tampa. The convenience store owner will receive a $100K bonus for selling the winning ticket. The winning numbers are 28, 30, 39, 59, 70 and 10. The Mega Millions drawing has a $281M payout if the winner selects a lump-sum payment and it has to be claimed in 60 days. Otherwise, the winner has 180 days from the date of the drawing to claim the prize.
Just one night later, the single winning $2-ticket for Saturday’s massive $570M Powerball jackpot was sold in New Hampshire, according to lottery officials. It is the seventh largest in U.S. lottery history and the second largest Powerball jackpot in history for a single winner. The winning numbers are 12-29-30-33-61 and Powerball 26. The ticket was sold at Reeds Ferry Market in Merrimack, the New Hampshire Lottery said and the store will be awarded a bonus of $75K for selling the winning numbers. The Powerball winner may choose to receive the jackpot in 30 annual payments or a one-time, lump-sum cash payment, which would be at least $300M.
With this avalanche of cash, the Florida Mega Millions winner will gain instant celebrity because by law, the Mega Millions winner cannot remain anonymous. The name, city of residence and details on the winnings can be made public; however, the home address and telephone numbers will remain “confidential.”
And for the Powerball winner, only six states allow lottery winners to stay anonymous: Delaware, Kansas, Maryland, North Dakota, Ohio and South Carolina. But there is a way to get around it. To remain anonymous, financial advisor and CBS and Forbes contributor Robert Pagliarini wrote in a 2016 Forbes article that winners can set up a blind trust with a limited liability corporation or they can set up a trust within a trust.
The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are one in 302.5M. Powerball odds are one in 292.2M. Mega Millions tickets are sold in 44 states, and Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Powerball tickets are offered in 44 states, and Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
