PORTLAND, Maine — The winner of a $1.35 billion Mega Millions jackpot — the fourth largest in U.S. historical past — has come ahead to gather the prize, state officers mentioned Wednesday.
The winner had been a thriller, and stays a thriller.
The Maine State Lottery mentioned the winner selected to stay nameless and accumulate the money possibility by way of a restricted legal responsibility firm, LaKoma Island Investments LLC, as a substitute of receiving the total quantity in funds over time.
“The winner is thoughtfully considering the best uses of the life-changing prize,” a consultant mentioned in a press release.
By selecting the money possibility, the winner will obtain a one-time, lump-sum fee of $723,564,144 earlier than taxes, officers mentioned.
The winner had the choice of coming ahead in individual with the profitable ticket or remaining nameless by way of a belief, lottery officers mentioned.
The profitable ticket was validated when a consultant got here to the lottery headquarters in Augusta on Friday, and the wire switch of the cash will happen earlier than the top of the week, mentioned Michael Boardman, deputy director of Maine Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages & Lottery Operation.
“I understand why someone would want to remain anonymous with this kind of money. We wish them well and hope they do good things with it,” he mentioned.
The profitable ticket for the Jan. 13 drawing was bought at Hometown Gas & Grill in Lebanon, which is positioned on a busy freeway in a small city close to the New Hampshire border.
Owner Fred Cotreau mentioned he had no thought who held the profitable ticket.
“We’re going to wait and see if it’s a local. Who knows? Sometimes they come to the store and say thank you, but I’m not going to lose any sleep over it,” mentioned Cotreau, who shared half of the shop’s proceeds of $50,000 for promoting the profitable ticket together with his workers.
If the winner had chosen to just accept the total quantity, then there would’ve been 30 funds over 29 years, Boardman mentioned.
By accepting the money payout, the winner will obtain greater than $498 million after taxes, Boardman mentioned. Taxes within the quantity of $173.6 million will go to federal authorities and $51 million to the state, he mentioned. The restricted legal responsibility firm that may obtain the cash was included in Las Vegas, he mentioned.
The winner overcame steep odds of 1 in 302.6 million, within the drawing on Friday the thirteenth, no much less. It was the primary Maine winner for the Mega Mills jackpot, which is performed in 45 states in addition to the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands
Source: www.bostonherald.com”