The lucky winner who struck gold in a Mega Millions jackpot—earning a sweet prize of $1.34 billion—has yet to claim their fortune a month after the announcement, said lottery officials said Friday.
The winning ticket was sold at the Speedy Cafe Speedway gas station on E Touhy Avenue, in Des Plaines, a suburb of Chicago, located just north of O’Hare International Airport, reported the New York Post.
Game officials say the jackpot drawn on July 29 marked the third largest cash sum in U.S. history and the second-largest cash sum in Mega Millions history.
But Meghan Powers, Illinois Lottery director of communications, told NBC News on Friday that the winner still has not come forward to claim the prize.
“For a prize of this magnitude, it’s not unusual for a winner to take a little bit longer to claim the prize as they may want to seek professional, legal, and financial advice prior to claiming,” she said.
Power said the state lottery would support whoever the ticket winner was through the prize claim process so to ensure “a great winning experience and support any requests for anonymity.”
The winning numbers were declared by show host John Crow to be 67, 45, 57, 36, and 13. The gold Mega Millions ball was numbered 14.
The possibility that the winner is oblivious to his or her windfall has not been ruled out.
According to lottery rules, the winner can wait for 12 months before claiming their winnings. However, the option to receive the $1.34 billion in the form of a bill over 29 years or a cash sum of $780 million excluding taxes is only available for 60 days after the draw.
Some states force lottery winners to release their identities, which may place a winner in potential danger. This is not the case for Illinois.
The gas station that sold the winning ticket will receive $500,000 as a selling bonus reward. Employees at the station have declined to speculate on who the winner might be.
