Illinois Mega Millions Winner to Come Forward

Winner will receive a check on Wednesday for $218.6 million

UPDATE: Meet the winners...

The final winner of the record $656 million Mega Millions jackpot will accept a check for $218.6 million on Wednesday in the southern Illinois town of Red Bud where the winning ticket was purchased, the Illinois Lottery said Monday.

The single winner is from Illinois, lottery officials said, but would not reveal any other details. The other two winning tickets already have been anonymously claimed in Maryland and Kansas.

"We are thrilled to announce that a single claimant has come forward and been confirmed as the official Illinois winner of the world record setting MegaMillion's Jackpot,'' Illinois Lottery officials said in an email.

The winning ticket was purchased at the MotoMart convenience store on Main Street in Red Bud, a tiny farming community of about 3,700 residents south of St. Louis. The winner will accept the check at Red Bud Village Hall.

Maryland and Kansas allow lottery winners to claim their prizes anonymously, but Illinois generally requires winners to come forward publicly. Illinois lottery officials say the rules help prove the lottery is paying out its prizes.

The jackpot in the March 30 drawing was the biggest in Mega Millions history. The winner numbers drawn were 2, 4, 23, 38, 46 Mega Ball: 23. 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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