$1.58 billion Mega Millions jackpot winning ticket sold in Florida

CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – The results of Tuesday night’s Mega Millions drawing are in, and we have a winner!

They say you gotta play to win and someone did win, and unfortunately, it was not someone in Massachusetts.

A single ticket with all the matching numbers was sold in Neptune Beach, Florida, which means whoever that lucky person gets to claim either $1.58 billion in annuities or $783.3 million in cash.

This annuity option helps protect winners’ lifestyles and purchasing power in periods of inflation, but people usually prefer a lump sum option.

Five people had tickets that matched five numbers for a million dollars, and two more matched five and had the megaplier, that’s worth $2 million. Unfortunately, none of those tickets were sold anywhere near us.

If you played, you shouldn’t feel like you wasted your money, though, all the money that people spend on tickets goes toward funding the jackpot prize and lower chair prizes while the other $1 stays in the state, and that’s to be distributed to the retailers who sell the tickets.

If you did not win the billion-dollar prize last night the next drawing is on Friday, and it’s gone all the way down to $20 million.

There are actually nine different ways to win money through Mega Millions, so here’s how to check your tickets.

If you match five of the white balls, but not the Mega Ball you win $1 million. No one in Massachusetts did that this time. Matching four of the white balls and the Mega Ball wins you $10 thousand.

Four white balls without the Mega ball win you $500, while three white balls and the Mega ball win you $200. Smaller prizes are available for people who matched three white balls without the Mega ball, or a combination of one or two white balls and the Mega ball.

You also win $2 for just matching the Mega ball. Unfortunately, you don’t win anything if you only match one or two white balls and not the Mega ball.

Many stores have a machine where you can scan your tickets to see if you won any money. The Massachusetts State Lottery actually has an app you can download which allows you to scan your tickets wherever you are.