CNN — The chase for the second-largest Mega Millions jackpot is over — because a single ticket has claimed the whole estimated $1.28 billion. One ticket bought in the Chicago area claimed the top prize in Friday night’s drawing, according to the Illinois Lottery, securing the third-largest jackpot of any U.S. lottery game and concluding a buildup that began when Mega Millions last drew a jackpot winner in mid-April. The winning ticket was bought at a Speedway gas station in Des Plaines, roughly a 20-mile drive northwest of Chicago, the Illinois Lottery said. If the holder chooses a lump-sum cash option, the ticket will yield a one-time payment of an estimated $742.2 million. “We are thrilled to have witnessed one of the biggest jackpot wins in Mega Millions history,” Pat McDonald, lead director for the Mega Millions Consortium, said in a news release Saturday.

Source: CNN July 30, 2022 22:07 UTC