Michigan State Lottery
Millions of us woke up today under the harsh reality of ‘business as usual.’ We didn’t win the billion dollar Mega Millions, am I’m sure some of us were so cocksure that we told our bosses to fuck off and inquired about buying a private island off Fiji. That would surely make for an awkward water cooler trip this morning.
Welp, one lucky motherfucker from South Carolina has won the $1.537 billion jackpot, claims a Mega Millions press release this morning. Not a whole office that pooled a bunch of cash. One single man beat 1 in 303 million odds to instantly become richer than all these household celebrities.
The winning numbers for October 23 were white balls 5, 28, 62, 65 and 70, plus the gold Mega Ball 5.
The winning ticket shattered the previous Mega Millions record of $656 million set in March 2012, and is a hair shy of the $1.586 billion Powerball prize in January 2016 which was split between three winning tickets.
The winner has two options: an immediate cash payment of $878 million or the full amount paid out over 29 years.
“The moment we’ve been waiting for finally arrived, and we couldn’t be more excited,” said Gordon Medenica, Lead Director of the Mega Millions Group and Director of Maryland Lottery and Gaming. “This is truly a historic occasion. We’re so happy for the winner, and we know the South Carolina Education Lottery can’t wait to meet the lucky ticket holder.”
The best part: South Carolina is one of the handful of states that allow its lottery winners to remain anonymous if they wish. Only Delaware, Kansas, Maryland, North Dakota, Ohio, and Texas allow the same option of anonymity.
[h/t Business Insider]