CHICAGO (AP) - The spokesman for the Illinois lottery says three tickets have split the record $640 million Mega Millions jackpot.
Mike Lang says the winning tickets were in Illinois, Kansas and Maryland.
He says the Illinois winning ticket was sold in the small town of Red Bud, near St. Louis. The Maryland lottery announced earlier its winner was from Baltimore County.
No details have been released on the winning ticket in Kansas.
Lang says each winning ticket was expected to be worth more than $213 million before taxes.
Winning Mega Millions ticket sold in Maryland
CHICAGO (AP) - An official with the Maryland lottery says a record $640 million winning lottery ticket has been sold in
Maryland, and there could be others nationwide.
Carole Everett, director of communications for the Maryland Lottery, says the winning Mega Millions ticket was purchased at a retailer in Baltimore County.
She said it's too early to know any other information about the lucky ticket-holder or whether others were sold elsewhere in the nation.
Everett says the last time a ticket from the state won a major national jackpot was 2008 when a ticket sold for $24 million.
She says, "We're thrilled. We're due and exciting."
The winning numbers were 2-4-23-38-46, Mega Ball 23.
The estimated jackpot dwarfs the previous $390 million record, which was split in 2007 by two winners who bought tickets in
Georgia and New Jersey.
Mega Millions numbers announced
Syracuse (WSYR-TV) – The numbers for the largest Mega Millions jackpot in history were announced Friday night on NewsChannel 9.
They were 46-23-38-4-2. And the Mega Ball number was 23.
The jackpot is $640 million.
Anyone out there who may have won should take a few precautions: sign the ticket and make a copy, secure the ticket in a safe place, and perhaps hold off on telling even friends or relatives.
It’s important not to display the winning numbers on one’s Facebook page or Twitter account.
Lottery officials say it’s a good precaution to hire an attorney or financial advisor right away before any of the money is spent.
The winner or winners of the jackpot can either claim a lump sum of $359 million before taxes or receive $19 million per year over 26 years.
