You may think that winning in life means you must always be first in line. Apparently not. For the winner of the $1.5-Billion Mega Millions jackpot, the key to winning was all about being patient.
And now, at last, the biggest individual prize in US history has been claimed, ending the nationwide speculation that it will never reach its rightful owner.
Patience. The winner (who is from South Carolina, so can remain anonymous) has shown remarkable restraint from the very start of this winning journey. As bits and pieces about the story unfolds it’s clear that last October’s winner is quite a unique lotto player, giving us quite a different kind of Mega Millions winning story.
An Act of Kindness While Waiting in the Queue
There are many tips on how to win the lottery, but few of them would advise you to stand back while others place their bets. But that’s exactly how the anonymous jackpot winner got the winning lotto numbers.
On the day of buying a ticket at a KC Mart - sometime between 20 and 23 October 2018 - the winner was kind enough to allow someone else into the line ahead of them. This simple act was a huge factor in the results as the player won with a Quick Pick purchase that brought on the winning numbers of 5-28-62-65-70 and MegaBall 5. Those numbers could have gone to the person who was let into the line ahead of our winner! And that was the first time that patience paid off for this lottery player.
Taking Time to Claim the Reward
On 23 October the jackpot draw took place and everyone waited in anticipation to learn who won the colossal jackpot.
And they waited a long time.
Some say the player held out for so long because they wanted financial advice first. Others think the ticket may have been forgotten in a jacket pocket and only recently discovered. Or did the winner wait patiently hoping the frenzy about this story would die down? No chance of that happening because the $878-Million cash option payment is the biggest amount ever paid to a single player in the US.
The excitement was also fuelled by everyone counting down the days: The winning ticket holder only had until 19 April to claim the Mega Millions jackpot, so time was running out.
Now Others Win Too
One person who definitely never forgot about this story was the owner of the store where the ticket was purchased. This KC Mart owner was eligible for $50 000 simply for selling the winning ticket, but only if someone came forward to claim the prize. So when our mystery winner finally emerged, it was also very good news for owner Chirag Patel.
Now, which strategy will you use to improve your chances of winning this week’s US Powerball jackpot ? Wednesday's draw could give you a jackpot prize of $448-Million if you have the winning numbers. Make sure you don’t miss out again. Whether you choose your numbers carefully or just take a quick pick, make sure you get your tickets for the next one.
