US lottery player scoops €1.25bn in Mega Millions draw

The jackpot was the third-largest lottery prize in the US

The winner now has the choice of taking the full amount over 29 years or an immediate payout of $747.2m (€726m).

A lucky ticket holder in Illinois has scooped $1.28bn (€1.25bn) in the US Mega Millions Jackpot.

They now have the choice of taking the full amount over 29 years or an immediate payout of $747.2m (€726m).

According to megamillions.com, there was one jackpot-winning ticket in the draw Friday night, and it was bought at a Speedway gas station and convenience store in Des Plaines.

The winning numbers were: 13-36-45-57-67, Mega Ball: 14.

“We are thrilled to have witnessed one of the biggest jackpot wins in Mega Millions history,” said Ohio lottery director Pat McDonald, currently serving as lead director for the Mega Millions Consortium, in a statement on the lottery’s website. 

“We’re eager to find out who won and look forward to congratulating the winner soon.” 

The jackpot was the US’s third-largest lottery prize. It grew so large because no one had matched the game’s six selected numbers since April 15.

That’s 29 consecutive draws without a jackpot winner.

The 2016 Powerball prize, however, remains the largest jackpot in US history, at $1.586bn, shared by three winners.