Three $1M Mega Millions Tickets Sold In Gloucester, Camden, Delaware Counties

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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP/CBS) — A single winning ticket was sold in South Carolina for the historic $1.6 billion Mega Millions jackpot, but three lucky players in our area won jackpots worth $1 million.

Lottery officials announced a $1 million ticket was sold at the Wawa at 2050 Sproul Road in Broomall, Delaware County, while two $1 million tickets were sold in South Jersey, one at the Quick Food Store at 102 North Berlin Road in Lindenworld, Camden County and the other at Plaza Liquors at 1450 Clements Bridge Road in Deptford, Gloucester County.

One woman already came to collect her prize at the Quick Food Store on Wednesday. The store's owners will collect a $5,000 bonus themselves for selling the winning ticket.

South Carolina is one of eight states — along with Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, North Dakota, Ohio and Texas — where winners can remain anonymous. In the others, their identities will become public.

The $1.6 billion prize reflects the annuity option, paid over 29 years. However, nearly all winners take the cash option, which for Tuesday's drawing was an estimated $913 million.

Three dozen others are waking up big winners as well. Lottery officials confirm that 36 second prize tickets matching the five white ball numbers were drawn.

"It is easier now to win the second tier prizes of a million dollars and less. So to create more millionaires but also feed into building bigger jackpots."

The winning numbers were 5, 28, 62, 65, 70 and Mega Ball 5. No details on where the winning ticket was sold were immediately available. But the lucky player overcame miserable odds: The chance of matching all six numbers and winning the top prize is 1 in 302.5 million.

Mega Millions is played in 44 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

It will likely be days or even weeks before a winner steps forward to claim the prize, which would be an estimated $913 million if they take the cash option. The $1.6 billion prize reflects the annuity option, paid over 29 years.

Lottery officials and financial managers encourage people to take time to map out a strategy for investing their hundreds of millions of dollars, and winners must deal with security concerns befitting someone who suddenly is immensely wealthy. Depending on the state, winners have from 180 days to a year to claim their prize.

The Mega Millions jackpot grew so large because it had been nearly three months since a player had matched all six numbers and won the top prize. The last time that happened was July 24, when 11 co-workers from California won a $543 million prize.

Although Tuesday's jackpot was extraordinarily large, it's no fluke. It reflects a trend toward ever-growing lottery prizes due to changes in the game that worsened the odds with hopes that bigger jackpots would result in better sales.

Officials with the Powerball game were the first to make that move in October 2015 when changing the odds of winning the jackpot from 1 in 175 million to 1 in 292.2 million. Mega Millions followed suit in October 2017, resulting in the odds worsening from 1 in 259 million to 1 in 302.5 million.

While most attention has been on the Mega Millions game, Powerball also has been soaring. The estimated prize for Powerball's annuity option in Wednesday night's drawing is $620 million, with a cash prize of $354.3 million.

(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)