Georgia resident identified as winner of $983M Mega Millions jackpot, largest ever in state

A Georgia resident has been identified as the winner of the $983 million Mega Millions jackpot — the eighth-largest in the game’s history and the biggest lottery prize ever won in the state, officials said Tuesday.

The ticket holder, who remained anonymous, stepped forward on Jan. 2 to collect the prize following the drawing on Nov. 14, the lottery said.

The winner selected the cash option of $453.6 million before taxes.

The lottery said the Georgia resident has family members who have benefited from the Georgia Lottery-funded HOPE Scholarship.

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"We are thrilled to celebrate Georgia’s record-breaking jackpot winner and their life-changing start to the new year," Georgia Lottery Corp. President and CEO Gretchen Corbin said in a statement. "This historic jackpot was also significant for Georgia’s students, families and communities who benefit from HOPE and Pre-K. We congratulate our winner and appreciate the support of our players and retail partners during this exciting jackpot run."

The ticket holder is a regular lottery player who enjoys supporting HOPE and Pre-K in the state, the lottery said. They noticed the growing jackpot on a billboard, which prompted them to purchase a ticket.

After learning there was a winner, the individual checked the Georgia Lottery website for the winning numbers and confirmed the result.

The lottery said the winner hopes to make the prize "generational" in addition to giving back to "good causes."

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The winning Quick Pick ticket was sold in Newnan, Georgia, at a Publix supermarket. Georgia Lottery retailers that sell a winning Mega Millions jackpot ticket receive a $50,000 retailer incentive bonus payment, according to the lottery.

The last time someone took home such a large prize was in December 2024, when a California player won a $1.269 billion jackpot.

"It’s by far the largest prize ever won in the month of November, and the eighth-largest jackpot in the history of the game," the lottery said following the November drawing, adding that, "in the 40 drawings since the jackpot was last won at $348 million in Virginia on June 27 — the most drawings in a single jackpot run in the game’s history — there were almost 14.3 million winning tickets at all prize levels."

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The jackpot had been swelling since the end of June when a single ticket sold in Georgia matched all six numbers in the Nov. 14 drawing.

Mega Millions changed its format last April, raising ticket prices from $2 to $5 per play.

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The price change is expected to accelerate jackpot growth and raise the starting jackpot from $20 million to $50 million.

The record jackpot belongs to a $1.602 billion Florida prize from August 2023.

FOX Business' Greg Norman contributed to this report.