Half of jackpot claimed by a "fruity" trust

By Kate Northrop

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — One of the two winners of the $494 million Mega Millions jackpot drawn in October 2022 has stepped forward to claim their share of the prize.

The Florida Lottery announced that one of the winning ticket-holders of the $494 million Mega Millions jackpot from the Oct. 14, 2022 drawing has claimed their share.

Weeks after Hurricane Ian ripped through the southwestern coast of Florida in September 2022, someone in Fort Myers bought a winning ticket for a Mega Millions jackpot originally valued at $502 million.

The other winning ticket was sold at the 7-Eleven on Kooser Road in South San Jose, California.

Pamela Baker, 44, of Bonita Springs, claimed half of the jackpot as the managing director of the Pineapple Trust and opted to received the prize as a one-time lump sum payment of $126 million before taxes.

This also marks the third time a Mega Millions jackpot was won in the state of Florida.

"The Florida Lottery is thrilled to congratulate our third Mega Millions jackpot winner," Secretary John Davis said in a press release. "This series of jackpot rollovers was not only life-changing for this player, it also allowed us to contribute more than $25 million to education that will greatly benefit our state's students and schools."

Since the ticket was bought in a location just ravaged by Hurricane Ian, many considered the win to potentially be one of the greatest turns of fate possible.

The Pineapple Trust bought the winning ticket at a 7-Eleven on Colonial Boulevard in Fort Myers, which received a $100,000 commission for selling the ticket.

The winning numbers for the Mega Millions drawing on Fri., Oct. 14, 2022 were 9, 22, 26, 41, and 44, with Mega Ball 19.

In addition to the two winners in California and Florida for this drawing, three tickets matched all five white balls to win a second-tier prize. Two winners in New Jersey and North Carolina won a $1 million prize, while one winner in Texas added the Megaplier option to their ticket to double their prize to $2 million after the 2X multiplier was drawn.

Prize amounts and odds for Mega Millions can be viewed on Lottery Post's Prizes and Odds page.

Currently, the Mega Millions jackpot stands at $126 million for the next drawing on Fri., Feb. 24 at 11:00 pm EST. Tickets cost $2 each, and players generally have until 10:00 pm EST to purchase tickets, although ticket cutoff times vary by state.

Thanks to Win$500Quick for the tip.