$1 billion Mega Millions jackpot has a winner

There's winning and then there's winning big. A lucky Michigan lottery player won big Friday night — $1 billion big.

Friday’s Mega Millions jackpot was one the most valuable lottery jackpots ever, according to organizers.

One ticket matched all six numbers — 4, 26, 42, 50, 60, and 24 —necessary to win the estimated $1 billion prize, according to Mega Millions. The yet-to-be-identified winner can choose between long-term payments or a $739.6 million lump-sum payout before taxes.

The odds of winning were 1 in 302,575,350.

It's the third-largest lotto jackpot since 2016. The record Powerball jackpot of $1.586 billion went to three people from Tennessee, Florida and California who each had the winning numbers in 2016. The largest single jackpot winner hit the Mega Millions numbers for $1.537 billion in late 2018.

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The Mega Millions jackpot has been climbing in value since September, when it was reset to $20 million after a $120 million win. This was the longest stretch with no winner in the history of the game, Mega Millions officials said in a statement.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCBP leaders cut out of Trump ad buy decision

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAmerican passenger drafted goodbye texts to her family as Flydubai plane plummeted

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation pushes embattled New York prosecutor into national spotlight

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

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The jackpot's gains have been slow partly because fewer people have been playing during the pandemic. Mega Millions is available in 45 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

On Wednesday, a single ticket sold at a convenience store in Lonaconing, Maryland, hit all six numbers in the Powerball jackpot. That win is worth $716.3 paid over 30 years or a cash prize of $546.8 million.