$1.34 Billion Mega Millions Winning Ticket Still Unclaimed
By Jason Hall
August 26, 2022
The recent $1.34 billion Mega Millions jackpot has remained unclaimed for nearly a month, according to ABC Chicago.
On July 29, a player in Illinois matched all six numbers and the golf ball to win the $1.34 billion Mega Millions jackpot, but still hasn't come forward to claim their winnings.
The winner, who purchased the ticket at a gas station in Des Plaines, will have a full calendar year from the initial drawing to claim their jackpot prize.
"For a prize of this magnitude, it's not unusual for the winner to take a while to claim," said Illinois Lottery Director Harold Mays. "I'm sure they're going through a range of emotions."
The Mega Millions results from the Friday, July 29, 2022 drawing are listed below:
NUMBERS: 67-45-57-36-13
GOLD BALL: 14
MEGAPLIER: 2x
The July 29 jackpot marked the third time the game has exceeded the $1 billion plateau and offer the third-largest jackpot in U.S. lottery history.
The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are reported to be 1 in 302.5 million, according to MegaMillions.com.
The Mega Millions jackpot reset twice during back-to-back drawings after players matched all six numbers on April 11 and April 15.
Mega Millions had previously offered a jackpot exceeding $1 billion on January 22, 2021, the second-largest jackpot in the game's history, won by a player in Michigan who matched all six numbers.
In October 2018, a ticket was sold in South Carolina winning $1.537 billion ($878 million cash value), which is the world's largest jackpot for a single ticket and the largest cash value for a single ticket.
Powerball's jackpot had also risen to $731.1 million in January 2021, which was then the third-largest cash value for a single ticket in lottery history and the fourth-largest in Powerball history, having hit two days prior to the Mega Millions $1.05 billion jackpot.
Both jackpots increase during each following game until there's a winning ticket matching all six numbers drawn, which includes the additional Mega Millions "gold ball" or Powerball in each respective game