2 Winners In $648M Mega Millions Drawing; $1M Ticket Sold In Annapolis
DES MOINES, Iowa (WJZ) -- Two winning ticket holders on opposite sides of the country will split a whopping $648 million jackpot, the second largest in lottery history.
But, as Monique Griego explains, they aren't the only people cashing in on the jackpot.
In addition to the main prize, there are also 20 people who won a million dollars. One of those tickets was sold at a gas station in Annapolis.
After more than two months of rolling jackpots, two lucky Mega Million tickets finally matched all six numbers for a prize. Last-minute ticket sales swelled to a whopping $648 million.
One ticket was sold at a small gift shop in San Jose, Calif. The owner gets a million dollar commission.
"Today is a good day. I'm so excited. I win a million dollars, too," said Thuy Nguyen.
The other ticket came from a newsstand in Atlanta.
The lucky winners will split the second largest prize in U.S. lottery history--but they aren't the only ones cashing in.
Nationwide, 20 tickets worth a million dollars each matched all five numbers except the Mega Ball. One of those tickets was sold at the High's on Old Bottom Road in Annapolis.
"Some nice person down here has won some money," said Marvin Redding.
"Heartbroken. I am so heartbroken because I come here all the time," said Richard Stokes.
Even if there's no chance you are that winner, you should still check your tickets. There are more than 685 winning tickets for smaller amounts.
"Even if you didn't win the jackpot, you could walk away with $5,000 to $500, all the way down to that one dollar," said Carole Everett, Maryland Lottery.
Mega Millions prize totals are soaring, thanks to new rules in October that made it harder to win.
While the big jackpots are enticing, most players say it's nice to win anything.
"The tough times we've been going through, anything would have been great," said Sean Engelhard.
The winner in Georgia has already come forward.
As for the local million dollar winner, they have 182 days to claim their prize.
The store in Annapolis will receive $1,000 for selling the winning ticket.
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