AUSTIN, Texas — Remember that Mega Millions ticket sold in Sugar Land that hit the $800M jackpot? That prize has now been claimed.
In a release sent out Thursday, the Texas Lottery said the massive prize, which was the biggest single lottery prize ever awarded in the state, was claimed by Sol Living Trust of Sugar Land.
Editor's note: Video above is from right after we learned a ticket sold in Sugar Land hit the $800M jackpot.
The ticket for the Sept. 10 drawing was sold at Murphy USA at 7520 Highway 90A in Sugar Land. The numbers were 1, 2, 16, 24 and 66 with a Mega Ball of 6. For selling the winning ticket, the business also cashed in with a $1 million bonus.
The winner picked the cash option, which means they received $409,297,624 before taxes.
The Mega Millions started as a $20 million jackpot in June and grew from there, rolling over 27 times before the big Sugar Land win on Sept. 10.
The Sugar Land winner becomes the Texas Lottery’s 15th Mega Million jackpot winner and first since Oct. 2023, when a ticket won an annuitized $360 million prize from a ticket sold in San Angelo.
Can the Mega Millions winner remain anonymous?
Texas law says that any lottery winner with a prize over $1 million may maintain their anonymity when coming forward to claim the prize.
Only 11 states, including Texas, allow anonymous lottery winners. The rest of the U.S. requires them to come forward publicly, usually sometime within a year after winning the jackpot.
Officials say public winners promote trust in lottery games like the Mega Millions contest because they put faces and names to the winners, allowing other players to know for sure that a real winner has been selected.
In Texas, the winner has only 180 days, or six months, to claim the jackpot. The shortened timeframe (some states give up to a year for winners to come forward) puts additional pressure on the lucky person to develop a plan for what to do with their new fortune.