WESTLAND (WWJ) - No one hit the Mega Millions jackpot Friday evening, but Wayne County does have a new Millionaire, officials with the Michigan Lottery announced on Saturday.
You're going to want to check your tickets, because a ticket sold at the Hunter and Wayne Liquor store located at 35201 Hunter Ave. in Westland is now worth a cool $1 million.
The ticket matched the five white balls drawn last night — 29, 40, 47, 50, 57.
"So, somebody woke up this morning to a big payday and there's no way to know who bought what ticket because it just spits them out of the machine," WWJ's Mike Campbell asked Michigan Lottery spokesman Jake Harris, who agreed.
"That's correct... we won't know who the winner is until they call us to claim the prize," Harris replied.
The ticket can be redeemed up to one year from the date of the drawing.
Harris said the first thing that anybody should so when they purchase a lotto ticket -- let alone a winning ticket -- is to is sign the back of it and put their name on it.
"That's important," he advised. "Tickets are bare instruments, so you want to get your name on there and then they'll want to give our office a call to schedule an appointment to claim the prize."
While the process seems overwhelming, Harris said it's very straightforward.
"It's some paperwork, you show us your ID and Social Security card and we cut your big check," he explained.
If you didn't win in Wayne County, you're still in the big game. The Mega Millions jackpot continues to grow, now estimated at $820 million with a cash option of $422 million.
The billion dollar Powerball jackpot was won by a ticket sold in Los Angeles. It was the third largest Powerball jackpot in history with a whopping total of $1.08 billion.
And the Mega Millions jackpot is creeping awfully close to that billion dollar mark.
Harris said he hopes the big winner is also from Michigan, as all of the lottery proceeds go towards the state's School Aid Fund.
"Certainly those games are driven by jackpots when it comes to sales, so when the jackpot goes, higher sales are gonna increase and that helps grow that jackpot as well," Harris explained. "When we have increased sales, that's just gonna increase that contribution at the end of our fiscal year and I can tell you that we've had four consecutive years of more than a billion dollars to schools and we're on track to have our fifth year of more than a billion dollars to schools."
Harris said lotto fever has caught in the last few weeks because instead of one huge jackpot, players had a chance at winning two major prizes.
"it is a little bit of an anomaly," Harris stated. "It has happened in the past but, typically it's one game or the other that's rolling and to have two of them growing at the same time is a little bit different, but it certainly is exciting and it gives players a couple of options to win a life changing amount of money."
While Harris said he is unable to play the lotto himself, he's been encouraging his parents to snatch up Mega Millions tickets when they can.
"You know, I make sure that they remember who reminded them to go get that ticket," he joked.
Mega Millions drawings are held every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. until there is a winner.
Each Mega Millions play is only $2. For an additional $1 per play, players have the opportunity to add a "Megaplier" that can multiply non-jackpot prizes by up to five times. Mega Millions tickets are sold in 45 states, Washington D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
For more information, visit MichiganLottery.com
