ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — One lucky Floridian became a millionaire overnight after matching five regular Mega Millions numbers in Friday night's drawing.
The Florida Lottery confirmed one winner of the $1 million prize after drawing numbers, 30, 43, 45, 46, 61, Mega Ball 14 and Megaplier 2X. The next jackpot resets to $20 million after one lucky player in Maine took home Friday's $1.35 billion jackpot.
Until Friday, no one had matched all six numbers and won the grand prize since Oct. 14. Those 25 straight drawings without a winner allowed the top prize to roll over and grow larger for three months — not surprising, given the game's 1 in 302.6 million odds.
“Congratulations to the Maine State Lottery, which has just won its first-ever Mega Millions jackpot," Pat McDonald, Ohio lottery director and lead director of the Mega Millions Consortium, said in a statement Saturday morning.
It was a big night for smaller winners, too. Fourteen players in California, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas matched five numbers to win $1 million.
While Friday the 13th is superstitiously considered unlucky, Mega Millions says there have now been 7 wins on the date since the game began in 2002.
The $1.35 billion prize is for a winner who chooses an annuity with annual payments over 29 years. Winners almost always take the cash option, which for Friday night’s drawing would be an estimated $724.6 million.