One of three Mega Millions jackpot winners who will split the $640 million jackpot purchased their ticket in Illinois, a lottery official said Saturday.
The winning ticket was sold at a Moto Mart in the small town of Red Bud, near St. Louis, said the store's manager Denise Metzger who received the news early Saturday morning from Illinois State Lottery.
"They told me that we were one of the three that sold the winning ticket," Metzger said, adding that she woke her husband up to share the news.
Metzger said the winner has still not come forward as of Saturday evening.
The winner used quick pick to select the numbers, said spokesman for the Illinois Lottery Mike Lang.
The other two winning tickets were sold in Kansas and Maryland. Winners are staying mum and no one has come forward in any of the three states as of Saturday morning.
The winning numbers in Friday night's drawing were 02-04-23-38-46, and the Mega Ball 23.
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According to Lang, each winning ticket was expected to be worth more than $213 million before taxes.
A few players in Illinois came awfully close to the jackpot though. These players matched five of the first five numbers, and they will each receive $250,000. In the Chicago area, these tickets were sold at the DM Stores, Inc., 222 N. LaSalle St.; AG 26th Inc., 3201 W. 26th St.; Jewel Food Store, 1157 N. Eola Rd. in Aurora; Monee BP Fast n’ Fresh, 6001 W. Monee Rd. in Monee, and the 7-Eleven at 305 N. Barrington Rd. in Streamwood.
One player, who played the Megaplier number, will collect $1 million, because they matched five of five numbers and the Megaplier -- which was 03 -- according to the Illinois Lottery. That ticket was sold at the 7-Eleven at 1750 W. Foster Ave. in Chicago.
Another 65 players in Illinois matched four of five numbers and the Mega Ball, and they will each receive $10,000.
Friday's drawing marked the largest lottery jackpot in history.
Since Tuesday, the pot jumped from $363 million to $500 million to $540 million to $640 million thanks to those swept up in the Mega Millions fever.
In Illinois alone, officials said ticket sales exceeded $10 million. About 14 hours before the drawing, sales were through the roof with machines in 42 states spitting out tickets.
This was the first week Illinois began selling Mega Millions tickets online, allowing residents the option to purchase in the comfort of their own home. Over one million tickets were purchased online before the drawing.
On Monday, the Illinois Lottery reported selling $15,000 worth of tickets by the end of its first day of offering ticket sales online.
The next Mega Millions drawing will be held on Tuesday, and the jackpot for that drawing is $12 million.
