Lotto Update- Winner Could Stay Anonymous, 2nd Prize Winner in NM
We have an update on the huge Mega Millions lottery! We may never know who the winner is and one lucky person is a millionaire in New Mexico. The Mega Millions jackpot was almost a whopping 1.6 billion dollars an people all over the country were scrambling to grab a ticket in the hopes they'd be the lucky winner. One person in South Carolina was walking away with the massive jackpot, but others still got some serious dought too. The winner in South Carolina could also never have to reveal their name! South Carolina is one of 8 states that don't require lottery winners to reveal their name. Instead, the winner could quietly sneak away with their new billion dollar fortune. According to Vox,
Winners must sign the back of the ticket to officially claim it, then contact their state's lottery commission, which announces the lottery is closed by saying who won. In only eight states — Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, and Texas — are winners allowed to conceal their names, but even then, they can only stay anonymous below a certain earnings threshold or for a certain time period.
Not only did the South Carolina winner walk away with cash, but 36 others matched 5 of the winning numbers. That means those second place winners get to collect a prize of one million dollars each. One of those lucky second place winning tickets was sold in the Taos, New Mexico area. The New Mexico winner has yet to come forward to claim their prize. The next Mega Millions jackpot will be held on Friday with a $40 million dollar jackpot prize. If you ever do become the lucky person to buy a winning lottery ticket, there are many steps you should take to ensure your life continues in the way you want it to. Vice has a great interview with a lawyer who specializes in helping lottery winners.