PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Someone could become an instant billionaire Tuesday night. The Mega Millions jackpot jumped to an estimated $1.1 billion after there was no big winner on Friday. But if you bought a ticket in Chester County, you might want to check those numbers. A ticket sold in Downingtown is worth millions.
"It's very exciting — for us, for the customers. It's the talk of the town right now," said Sam Estephan, owner of the Thorndale Inn in Downingtown. “To get that price in a little town like Downingtown, it's a big thrill."
The restaurant sold a Mega Millions ticket last week that matched all five white balls with the Megaplier option. That ticket is now worth $5 million.
Estephan says a winner has not come forward yet, and he has been calling customers.
"We're on the phone calling all our customers. Check your ticket. Check your ticket,” he said. “Five million dollars."
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Thorndale Inn will be getting a $10,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.
Esteban says he plans to invest it all back into the business.
Pennsylvania got lucky in Friday's drawing. Another ticket, worth $1 million, was sold in McKean County, just south of the New York state border.
No one has won the Mega Millions jackpot since April 18, allowing it to roll over again and again until it reached its status as tied for the seventh-largest in U.S. history. Tuesday night's drawing will be the 30th since someone last won the jackpot.
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The drought is due to a combination of poor luck and terrible odds, as the chance of winning the Mega Millions jackpot is 1 in 302.6 million. The odds of winning smaller prizes, ranging from $1 million to $2, are significantly better.
The $1.1 billion jackpot is for a sole winner who chooses to collect through an annuity, with annual payments over 30 years. A sole winner who opts for a lump sum payment would receive an estimated $527.9 million.
Winners also would be subject to federal taxes, and many states also tax lottery winnings.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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