A lucky Mega Millions ticket holder in Georgia won a staggering $980 million jackpot Friday, setting a new record as the largest lottery prize in the state's history. The winning ticket was sold in Newnan, Georgia, about 40 miles southwest of Atlanta.
The winner, who is yet to come forward, has two options for claiming the prize. They can choose the full $980 million spread out over 30 annual payments, or take a one-time lump sum of approximately $452.2 million, according to the NY Post.
The lucky numbers drawn were 1, 8, 11, 12, 57 with the white Mega Ball 7.
This marks Georgia's 17th Mega Millions winner and the state's first lottery winner in over eight years.
The last Mega Millions jackpot claimed in Georgia was in January 2017, when ADirectConnection LLC stepped forward to claim an $83 million prize from a drawing held on November 18, 2016.
The current Georgia winner is also the first Mega Millions player to match all six numbers since an anonymous Virginia man won a $348 million jackpot on June 27.
2025 has already been a big year for Mega Millions winners across the US. The year began with a win in Arizona, where a player claimed $113 million on January 17, according to USA Today.
On April 25, a ticket holder in Illinois took home $344 million, followed by an Ohio player who won $112 million on April 18.
The $980 million jackpot also surpasses the $810 million prize sold at a Texas gas station in September 2024 to become the eighth-largest in Mega Millions' 29-year history.
On Friday, another player in Michigan won $3 million by using the 3X multiplier and matching all five white balls. The night also ended with the game's longest streak without a jackpot, with 39 consecutive drawings going without a winner.
