Anthony Yates
A lucky lottery winner in Virginia hit a grand prize of $348 million earlier this month. Lottery officials revealed it’s the largest jackpot in the state’s history.
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A life-changing prize: Mega Millions posted a news release about the jackpot earlier this month, explaining the winner wishes to remain anonymous. Officials disclose that a single ticket won the grand prize on the Mega Millions draw on June 27.
- The news release states that the anonymous winner bought their ticket from E & C Mid Atlantic, located at 14878 Northumberland Highway in Burgess, Virginia. The winning ticket matched all six numbers along with Mega Ball number 2.
- Officials say the winner strolled into the Virginia Lottery headquarters in Richmond four weeks after their lucky draw, clutching the ticket.
- Many lottery winners have a grand plan for the cash, but the anonymous ticket owner reportedly only had a single item in mind. A “zero-radius riding lawn mower.”
The Lottery Winner Chose To Collect Their Winnings As A Lump Sum
A decision to make: Lottery winners can typically collect their winnings in installments. Alternatively, they can collect the prize as a lump sum, but the latter is often a lower amount.
- The news release explains that the $348 million could be collected in annual payments over 30 years. The anonymous winner opted for a single cash payment of $155.6 million before taxes.
Virginia Lottery officials note that all profits go to K-12 education in the state. “In Fiscal Year 2025, the Lottery raised more than $901 million for K-12 education, making up approximately 10 percent of Virginia’s total K-12 school budget,” the statement reads.
What happens to unclaimed prizes?: You know what happens to profits from ticket sales, but have you ever wondered what happens if a jackpot remains unclaimed? Well, lottery officials in Sacramento dealt with this exact scenario earlier this year.
- caLottery posted a news release on June 12 explaining that somebody had won almost $1.4 million. The issue was that they bought their ticket in December 2024. Time was running out for the winner to claim their prize.
- Lottery officials revealed that winning tickets have an expiry date of six months. If a jackpot remains unclaimed, it’s distributed to schools across the state, just like regular lottery profits.
