Auto-pick used to win $60 million Mega Millions jackpot

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

The Luck of the Irish was with someone on St. Patrick’s Day. The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are roughly one in 290,000,000, but it happened Tuesday in Van Wert.

The city was buzzing on Wednesday, after someone won a Mega Millions $60 million jackpot. Of course, the top question was “who was it?” It’s entirely possible we’ll never know. It is known that it’s the largest lottery jackpot ever won in Van Wert and Van Wert County.

As first reported by the VW independent, the winning ticket for Tuesday’s drawing was purchased at Tyler’s Short Stop on E. Main St. The winner used the auto-pick option to select the nubmers. The winning numbers were 4-11-18-38 and 50, and the Mega Ball was 24.

The winner has 180 days to claim the prize and has the option to take the prize as an annuity paid over 30 years or take the cash option prize of $27.1 million. After taxes, the winner would take home approximately $1 million annually for 30 years or a one-time lump sum payment of $13.6 million. The winner also has the option of revealing themselves through the Ohio Lottery Commission or claiming the money and staying anonymous through a blind or specialized trust. 

Tyler’s Short Stop isn’t coming away empty-handed. The store will receive a $10,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.

Mega Millions can be played in 45 states plus the District of Columbia and the U. S. Virgin Islands. Since joining Mega Millions, Ohio has had 22 jackpot winners and 65 second-tier winners of $1 million or more.