By JEFFREY McMURRAY
Associated Press
CHICAGO (AP) - Lottery
ticket-holders in Illinois, Kansas and Maryland each selected the
winning numbers for the world record-breaking $640 million Mega Millions
jackpot, lottery officials said early Saturday.
Illinois' winning ticket
was sold in the small town of Red Bud, near St. Louis, and the winner
used a quick pick to select the numbers, Illinois Lottery spokesman Mike
Lang said. The Maryland Lottery said it sold a winning ticket at a
retail store in Baltimore County.
A winning ticket also was
purchased in northeast Kansas, according to the Kansas Lottery website. A
spokeswoman didn't immediately return a message Saturday morning.
Each winning ticket was
expected to be worth more than $213 million before taxes, Lang said. The
winning numbers in Friday night's drawing were 02-04-23-38-46, and the
Mega Ball 23.
Maryland Lottery
spokeswoman Carole Everett said the last time a ticket from the state
won a major national jackpot was in 2008, when a ticket sold for $24
million.
"We're thrilled," she said. "We're due and excited."
The estimated jackpot
dwarfs the previous $390 million record, which was split in 2007 by two
winners who bought tickets in Georgia and New Jersey.
Americans spent nearly $1.5
billion for a chance to hit the jackpot, which amounts to a $462
million lump sum and around $347 million after federal tax withholding.
With the jackpot odds at 1 in 176 million, it would cost $176 million to
buy up every combination. Under that scenario, the strategy would win
$171 million less if your state also withholds taxes.
From coast to coast, people stood in line at retail stores Friday for one last chance at striking it rich.
Maribeth Ptak, 31, of
Milwaukee, said she only buys Mega Millions tickets when the jackpot is
really big and she bought one Friday at a Milwaukee grocery store. She
said she'd use the money to pay off bills, including school loans, and
then she'd donate a good portion to charity.
"I know the odds are really not in my favor, but why not," she said.
Sawnya Castro, 31, of
Dallas, bought $50 worth of tickets at a 7-Eleven. She figured she'd use
the money to create a rescue society for Great Danes, fix up her
grandmother's house, and perhaps even buy a bigger one for herself.
"Not too big - I don't want that. Too much house to keep with," she said.
Willie Richards, who works
for the U.S. Marshals Service at a federal courthouse in Atlanta,
figured if there ever was a time to confront astronomical odds, it was
when $640 million was at stake. He bought five tickets.
"When it gets as big as it is now, you'd be nuts not to play," he said. "You have to take a chance on Lady Luck."
___
Associated Press writers
Carrie Antlfinger in Milwaukee, Jamie Stengle in Dallas and Kate
Brumback in Atlanta contributed to this report.
Copyright
2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not
be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
