Grass green as money.
The recipient of the Mega Millions $348 million jackpot, the largest lottery prize ever secured in Virginia, came forward earlier this month and shared their plans for the winnings.
Choosing to remain anonymous, the ticket holder informed lottery officials of their intention to buy a new, zero-radius riding lawn mower — often priced at $3,000 or more — as part of their spending spree, as announced by Mega Millions on Aug. 14.
This Virginia resident claimed their prize at the state lottery’s Richmond office roughly four weeks after purchasing the ticket at E & C VA convenience store in Burgess, Va., on June 27.
Instead of opting for the full $348 million payout over 30 years, the winner decided on the one-time cash option of $155.6 million.
According to Virginia law, lottery winners can remain anonymous if their prize is valued at $1 million or more, unless they consent in writing to reveal their identity.
Eighteen states have laws to protect the privacy of jackpot winners; while some states have conditions based on the prize size, others, such as New Jersey, ensure winners’ names are not disclosed regardless of the amount.
The convenience store was awarded a $50,000 bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket.
Virginia has produced 10 Mega Millions winners since the game’s inception in 2002.
Retired truck driver JR Triplett previously held the state’s Mega Millions record when he won $239 million in 2004. Triplett opted for one lump sum, which was worth $140 million before taxes, according to WIS News 10.
The Mega Millions jackpot has not been won since the June 27 drawing and currently sits at $277 million.
The lottery is ending its fourth month since increasing ticket prices from $2 to $5 following a game redesign, marketed as “bigger and better,” to create larger prizes for all non-jackpot tier winners, better odds to win the jackpot and a larger starting jackpot of $50 million instead of the original $20 million.
A Virginia lottery player scored $1 million from Wednesday night’s Powerball drawing after matching all five white balls.
The Powerball jackpot has surged to a year-high $950 million, the sixth-largest top prize in the games history.
