Georgia Lottery Winner Claims $983 Million Mega Millions Jackpot

How the Big Win Unfolded

Although the lucky winner has chosen to remain anonymous - their right as a Georgia Lottery winner of a prize greater than $250,000 - the Georgia Lottery has released some details about their $983 million winner.

The winner apparently decided to buy their ticket after seeing a billboard for Mega Millions showcasing the massive jackpot (advertising works!). Their ticket was a randomly generated "Quik Pik", purchased at a Publix in Newnan. The store will receive a $50,000 commission for selling the winning ticket, as part of the Georgia Lottery's Retailer Incentive Scheme.

The winning numbers for November 14 were 1-8-11-12-57, with a Mega Ball of 7. The winner didn't check their ticket right away, but was prompted later when they heard the jackpot had been won in Georgia.

The winner is said to be "thankful to be in a position to give". An interesting detail is that the winner is a regular player who enjoys supporting Georgia's lottery-funded HOPE Scholarship, and who has family members that benefitted directly from the program.

"Two things in life are certain…"

It has been revealed that the Mega Millions winner opted to take their $983 million prize as a cash lump sum, equivalent to $453.6 million before taxes. After tax, this amount will be closer to $262.7 million - way less than the advertised jackpot. How are these figures calculated?

The advertised jackpot value is based on ticket sales and represents the value a winner would receive if they accepted their prize as an annuity: 30 annual payments, adjusted each year to account for inflation. The cash value, on the other hand, is the amount of money needed today to fund those future payments, based on current interest rates. Because that money would normally be invested to grow over time, the upfront cash option is always lower than the advertised jackpot.

Taxes are levied on the winnings too, a nationwide 24% federal tax, along with a smaller state tax that varies from state-to-state (or isn't applied at all in some lucky states). Why would the winner wait nearly two months to claim their prize? Big lottery winners often take their time to claim, spending a month or so arranging an advisor and letting the new reality sink in. But in this case, there's a more obvious reason: From the start of 2026, Georgia lowered their state lottery tax from 5.19% to 5.09%, so claiming the prize in the New Year saved this winner around $400,000 in taxes. Neat!

The Current Mega Millions Situation

The November Mega Millions win is Georgia's biggest ever, roughly double the previous record, a $478.2 million Powerball jackpot won relatively recently in October 2024.

The Mega Millions jackpot isn't quite as mind-blowing, but we certainly wouldn't turn it down. You can have the chance to win it all by visiting a lottery retailer or, depending on your state/county laws, you could even play over the internet! Visit our Tickets Page to learn more.