$536 Million Jackpot Finally Claimed by Indiana Couple who Forgot They Bought Tickets
— -- The mystery of who won the $536 million Mega Millions jackpot earlier this month has finally been solved.
A couple from Hamilton County, Indiana, with two children has come forward and been confirmed as the winners of the $536 million jackpot, Indiana's Hoosier Lottery officials announced at a news conference today.
The prize is the largest ever won by a single ticket holder in Mega Millions history.
The couple, who wished to remain anonymous, had a representative claim the prize today. Indiana law allows the prize to be claimed by a limited liability corporation or legal trust, which allows the winners to remain anonymous if they wish.
The representative said that the couple was "incredibly humbled and overjoyed" about winning, but they also were still "wrapping their heads around" what the prize meant for them.
The couple was born and bred in Indiana, where they said they will continue to live and raise their children, their representative said. The couple emphasized that they wanted to "maintain a sense of normalcy" for their two young children, who are still in elementary school.
Although it was announced earlier this month that a winning ticket for the $536 million jackpot had been sold, the couple had forgotten they bought tickets, according to their representative. They only recently stumbled upon the tickets again and checked to see if any of their numbers matched.
When they went online and realized the winning numbers, 8-19-20 - 55-73 with a Mega Ball number of 5, matched one of the numbers on one of the five quick pick tickets they had bought, they actually did a double-take and restarted their computer in disbelief, their representative said.
The Hamilton County couple bought the winning ticket at a Speedway gas station in Wayne County, according to their representative. They had been on a road trip to a sports event out of state for their children and had taken a stop to get gas and refreshments.
While in the gas station's convenience store, the couple decided to buy five quick pick Mega Millions tickets, their representative said, adding that it was their first time buying them.
The couple has chosen to claim the $536 million prize in a one-time lump sum payment of $378 million. The final payout will be about $271 million after taxes.
Mega Millions jackpot odds are 1 in 258,890,850. Overall odds are 1 in 15.
