TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Just in time for the new year: The winner of the record-setting $1.6 billion Mega Millions jackpot has claimed their winnings, according to the Florida Lottery.
The historic drawing was held on Aug. 8, 2023. The winner, identified as the entity Saltines Holdings, LLC, decided to receive their prize as a one-time, lump-sum payout of $794,248,882.
The winning ticket was claimed this week at Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee, the Lottery said in a release on Wednesday.
The Lottery said the history-making drawing followed 32 rollovers that started back in April 2023. The ever-growing jackpot and amount of time without a winner garnered nationwide attention earlier this year. The Lottery says ticket buyers helped contribute a "staggering" $73.4 million to education funding efforts in Florida.
The billion-dollar ticket was bought at a Publix located on 630 Atlantic Blvd in Neptune Beach. The store got a $100,000 commission for selling the winning Mega Millions ticket.
After Gov. Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 159 into law back in June 2022, lottery winners of prizes valued at $250,000 or more can remain anonymous for the first 90 days after the money is claimed.
Jackpot winners initially get 180 days from the date of the drawing to claim their prize, which means we could go all the way until May 5, 2024, without knowing the winner's identity.
However, according to the Florida Lottery, claims have to be filed within 60 days after the winning draw date to select the one-time, lump-sum cash payment option. This would allow the jackpot winner to have until Jan. 6, 2024, before they're identified.
Most people who win the jackpot prize try to stay anonymous if they can to avoid unwanted attention and grabs for the money.
10 Tampa Bay's Courtney Holland contributed to this report.