FINALLY

$1.34B Illinois Lottery Winners Raise Their Hands to Claim Prize

The two winners opted to take home the lump sum of $780.5 million from the second largest jackpot in Mega Millions history.

Two people have finally stepped up to claim the second largest Mega Millions jackpot in history, a record-setting $1.34 billion that was cashed out in Illinois. The lucky winners, who are opting to stay anonymous, reportedly vowed to split the money after sharing the ownership of the single winning ticket, NBC News reported. The pair sat on their winning digits for eight weeks before raising their hands, working with legal and financial advisors to claim the lump sum of $780.5 million, according to the Illinois Lottery. The jackpot rolled over for more than three months before landing in their lucky pockets. “It’s a surreal feeling giving away this amount of money and knowing what a huge impact this is going to make on the winners’ lives, and for others close to them as well,” Illinois Lottery Claims Manager Luis Rodriguez said in a statement. “It was an incredible feeling just to be part of that process—so I can only imagine how the winners themselves are feeling.”