Nov. 15 (UPI) — One or more people in Newnan, Ga., bought the only ticket to win the $980 million Mega Millions jackpot on Friday, which is the eighth-largest in the game’s history.
The winning ticket was the only one with the winning numbers of 1, 8, 11, 12, 57 and the Mega Ball 7, Mega Millions announced on Saturday.
“$980 million is the largest jackpot that’s been won since the Mega Millions game changed back in April,” Mega Millions Consortium Lead Director Joshua Johnston said.
The win also ended the longest drawing streak between jackpot wins in Mega Millions history at 40 drawings since the last jackpot was won in Virginia on June 27.
The winning ticket’s cash value is $452.2 million and was Quik Pik sold at Publix #1816 at 4000 N. Highway 29 in Newnan, which is about 40 miles southwest of Atlanta.
The store will also get a $50,000 bonus for selling the ticket.
The winner has the option of accepting annual payments from the $980 million jackpot over 30 years or taking a lump-sum payment of $452.2 million before paying taxes on the windfall.
The ticket was the first winner sold in Georgia since November 2016, and the largest jackpot won by an individual in the state’s history.
Friday’s jackpot win surpassed the previous Georgia record set on Oct. 23, 2024, when two people split a $478.2 million Powerball jackpot after buying the winning ticket in Buford.
The two opted to share the cash prize of $230.6 million in that Powerball win.
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