One lottery ticket holder in New York is looking at a much brighter 2019. The Mega Millions lotto announced early Wednesday morning that a single ticket purchased in New York had matched all the winning numbers drawn on New Year’s Day to take the $425 million jackpot.
“A single ticket matched all six numbers drawn Tuesday night to win the estimated $425 million jackpot ($254.6 million cash). At that value, it is the eighth largest jackpot in the history of the game,” a statement posted to the Mega Millions website said.
The winning numbers for the New Year’s Day Mega Millions jackpot were 34, 44, 57, 62, 70 and the Mega Ball was 14.
The winner has not yet come forward, but Mega Millions said the winning ticket was purchased at an auto service center in the hamlet of Glen Head, in Nassau County.
According to Mega Millions it was only the second time in the game’s history that someone has won the jackpot on the first day of the new year.
There hasn’t been a Mega Millions winner since the $1.5 billion jackpot in October. The next drawing will be on January 4, with the prize value resetting at the base $40 million ($23.9 million).
Mega Millions winning numbers
- 34, 44, 57, 60, 70
- Mega Ball: 14
- Megaplier: 4X
Who buys lotto tickets?
About two-thirds of Americans gamble. Last year, they spent $72.97 billion on traditional lottery tickets, according to Gallup.
On average, that’s $206.69 per person. “Our obsession with lotteries, with gambling, is that unicorn feeling of, like, ‘maybe it’ll be me,'” CBS News business analyst Jill Schlesinger said in October. She points out that some people don’t necessarily play to win.
“They just want to take a moment out of their day to consider how to dream big,” Schlesinger said.
The average American spends about $223 per year on lottery tickets, according to a survey from LENDedu. Massachusetts residents have the biggest taste for playing the odds, spending almost $763 per year on lottery tickets, the study found. North Dakotans are on the opposite end of the spectrum, spending about $44 per year on the lottery, or the lowest average figure among residents of all 50 states.
