So it seems that fortune cookies do live up to their name. Well, one did. In fact, the inexpensive after-dinner novelty item found in every place that serves Chinese - from the local takeaway spot to Michelin Star awarded Szechuan haute cuisine establishments, turned out to be worth $1 million for one lucky lotto player.
Most days Ronnie Martin, a citizen of Pennsylvania, would stop off at his local gas station to fill up and get a few tickets for Mega Millions Lottery. On the 24th of July, as usual, Ronnie used the numbers he was given by the last fortune cookie he’d had. But unlike every other time he scanned his ticket, it showed SEE CLERK.
The clerk scanned the ticket just make sure everything was official and declared Ronnie the big winner! Ronnie and his wife Shirley plan to pay off the bond on their home and put the rest into paying bills and adding a few more zeros to their savings.
But Wait… There Are More Lottery Winners
After all the expenses and deductions, Ronnie expects to still have around half of the jackpot. While it’s far from the biggest jackpot ever won, it is more than enough to ensure that the Martins financial stresses are over. It also means that they are now living a freer life.
But while their jackpot was impressive, the Mega Millions Lottery on the 24th of July had an even bigger jackpot winner. The Martins won their million by matching 5 number, without the Mega Ball. However, the same draw had one player match all five regular numbers AND the Mega Ball. And what a massive difference that one ball makes, with the lucky person who owns it now $543 million richer!
Yes, you read that right. The accumulative jackpot had not been won in 20 years and has been constantly growing during all that time. But as with all of the really large Mega Millions Lottery jackpots, the winner, who is still unknown at the moment, can only expect to receive about 30% if they choose to take it as a lump sum rather than monthly payments after tax.
Super Sized Jackpots In Mega Millions Lottery
While the $543 million jackpot is by far the biggest to ever be won by a single ticket, the biggest jackpot it’s ever had was a frankly unbelievable; $656 million that dates back to the 30th of March 2012 when it was split between 3 winners.
The Powerball, archrival to Mega Millions Lottery, has had even more outrageous jackpots. Just over a year ago in August 2017 one person claimed the largest single win of all times with $787.7 million. But even this pales when compared to the biggest jackpot - $1.586 billion – that was shared by three winners.
Well if you’re now itching to try your luck and have millions in the bank, lotteries are not the only games in town – especially in the Garden State where you can find several NJ online casinos offering 7 figure jackpots 7 days a week.