The $ 1.5 billion Mega Millions Prize winner, the biggest ever, emerges in South Carolina
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By David K. Li
The winner of the $ 1.5 billion lottery prize – A record for a single winner – appeared in South Carolina nearly five months after the drawing, officials on Monday.
The lucky person has chosen to remain anonymous and make a one-time Mega Millions payment of $ 877,784,1[ads1]24, according to a statement from the South Carolina Education Lottery Commission.
The payout of $ 877 million is before tax, which will be around 7 percent for the state and 24 percent for federal, according to a commission language woman. The commission said it was the biggest jackpot payout to a single winner in American history.
"We are delighted that the winner is a South Carolinian and has come forward to claim this remarkable award," CEO Hogan Brown said in a statement.
The winner had 180 days to claim the prize – with the April 19 deadline fast approaching.
Had the winner not come forward, the store that sold the winning Mega ticket, KC Mart in Simpsonville, had been out at $ 50,000 and the state of South Carolina would have gone without its $ 61 million share in the Total Price.
"We respect the winner's decision to remain anonymous and we will respect the winners' wishes," Brown said. The Commission will not even reveal whether the winner is a man or a woman.
The winner bought the Quick Pick ticket for an instant decision, according to lottery officials.
The person allowed only one media customer to get ahead of the line in the store to make a Mega Millions lotto ticket purchase, according to a commission statement. "A simple act of goodness led to a wonderful outcome."
