By Kate Northrop

SUGAR LAND, Texas — After a run of 27 drawings without a jackpot winner, the 28th drawing of the multi-state Mega Millions lottery game produced a single $800 million winner last night when one ticket sold in Texas matched all five numbers plus the Mega Ball.

The winner will now have to choose between being paid $800 million in 30 annually-increasing payments over 29 years or the lump-sum estimated cash value of $404.2 million.

According to USA Mega's Mega Millions Jackpot Analysis, after all federal taxes are paid, the winner either will receive $505.25 million by the end of 29 years, or $254.69 million in cash all at once. Texas does not have a state tax on lottery prizes.

The jackpot-winning Quick Pick ticket for the 13th-largest lottery jackpot in US history was sold at Murphy Express 8848, located at 7520 Highway 90A in Sugar Land.

The winner has 180 days from the draw date to claim the prize and the retailer is eligible to receive a $1 million retailer bonus for selling this jackpot-winning ticket.

"We are beyond thrilled to celebrate Texas' largest-ever jackpot winner and can't wait to meet and congratulate them in person," said Ryan Mindell, executive director of the Texas Lottery. "If you're the lucky holder of the winning ticket, be sure to sign it, secure it in a safe place, consult financial and legal advisors and then contact the Texas Lottery before making your way to Austin to claim the prize."

The massive haul is the 15th Mega Millions jackpot won in Texas since the state began offering the game in December 2003. It is also the seventh-largest jackpot in the game's history and the third won this year. The first was a $1.128 billion windfall won in New Jersey on March 26, while the second was a $552 million prize won by a ticket bought online in Illinois on June 4.

The Illinois winner of the $552 million Mega Millions jackpot was revealed as a lifetime laborer who claimed the prize anonymously one week after scooping the prize. No one has come forward to claim the $1.128 billion jackpot won in New Jersey.

Whether we learn the identity of the winner depends on how they choose to claim the prize. In Texas, lottery winners of $1 million or more may elect to remain anonymous. However, Texas law stipulates that the prohibition on releasing the winner's name lasts only until the 30th day after the person claims the lottery prize as an annuity.

Lottery Post maintains a list of every state's anonymity policies for lottery winners, and Lottery Post published a comprehensive video presentation about each state's anonymity laws.

The Mega Millions winning numbers for Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, were 1, 2, 16, 24, and 66, with Mega Ball number 6. The Megaplier was 4.

Fortunately, even if you didn't win the jackpot, the Mega Millions game still offers another 8 ways to win lower-tier prizes. Three tickets, purchased in Florida, New York, and Washington, each won a second prize of $1 million by matching the first five numbers minus the Mega Ball, and a fourth winner from California won $606,656 for accomplishing the same feat.

47 tickets matched four white numbers plus the Mega Ball and won $10,000. Of those tickets, ten were purchased with the Megaplier option, increasing the prize to $40,000 and four of the tickets were purchased in California with a prize amount of $20,977 each.

In addition to the jackpot-winning ticket, 2,109,736 tickets won prizes across the game's nine prize tiers in Tuesday's drawing.

A complete list of payouts for all prizes and the official drawing video can be found at USA Mega's Mega Millions Drawing Information page, as well as at Lottery Post's Mega Millions Prize Payouts page.

The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302.6 million.

With the jackpot being won Tuesday, the next Mega Millions annuity jackpot estimate for the drawing on Friday, Sept. 13 is reset to its starting point of $20 million.

Mega Millions is currently offered for sale in 45 states, plus Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are Tuesdays and Fridays at 11:00 pm Eastern Time. Tickets cost $2 each.

The Mega Millions winning numbers are published at USA Mega (www.usamega.com) minutes after the drawing takes place.

Top 25 United States lottery jackpots of all time

Tuesday's $800 million Mega Millions jackpot won in Texas is the 13th-largest lottery jackpot of all time in the United States, and the 7th-largest jackpot in Mega Millions game history.

1. Powerball: $2.0401 billion, Nov. 7, 2022 (40 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California
2. Powerball: $1.7649 billion, Oct. 11, 2023 (35 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California
3. Mega Millions: $1.602 billion, Aug. 8, 2023 (31 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Florida
4. Powerball: $1.5864 billion, Jan. 13, 2016 (19 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - California, Florida, Tennessee
5. Mega Millions: $1.537 billion, Oct. 23, 2018 (25 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - South Carolina
6. Mega Millions: $1.348 billion, Jan. 13, 2023 (25 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Maine
7. Mega Millions: $1.337 billion, Jul. 29, 2022 (29 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Illinois
8. Powerball: $1.3259 billion, Apr. 6, 2024 (40 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Oregon
9. Mega Millions: $1.128 billion, Mar. 26, 2024 (30 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - New Jersey
10. Powerball: $1.0798 billion, Jul. 19, 2023 (38 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California
11. Mega Millions: $1.05 billion, Jan. 22, 2021 (36 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Michigan
12. Powerball: $842.4 million, Jan. 1, 2024 (34 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Michigan
13. Mega Millions: $800 million, Sep. 10, 2024 (27 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Texas
14. Powerball: $768.4 million, Mar. 27, 2019 (25 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Wisconsin
15. Powerball: $758.7 million, Aug. 23, 2017 (20 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Massachusetts
16. Powerball: $754.6 million, Feb. 6, 2023 (33 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Washington
17. Powerball: $731.1 million, Jan. 20, 2021 (35 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Maryland
18. Powerball: $699.8 million, Oct. 4, 2021 (40 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California
19. Powerball: $687.8 million, Oct. 27, 2018 (21 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Iowa, New York
20. Mega Millions: $656 million, Mar. 30, 2012 (18 rollovers, starting at $12 million) - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
21. Mega Millions: $648 million, Dec. 17, 2013 (21 rollovers, starting at $12 million) - California, Georgia
22. Powerball: $632.6 million, Jan 5, 2022 (39 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California, Wisconsin
23. Powerball: $590.5 million, May 18, 2013 (13 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Florida
24. Powerball: $587.5 million, Nov. 28, 2012 (15 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Arizona, Missouri
25. Powerball: $564.1 million, Feb. 11, 2015 (20 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Texas

For those keeping score, the number of jackpots in the top 25, by lottery game, are:

• Powerball: 16
• Mega Millions: 9

Top 25 cash value jackpots

The Tuesday Mega Millions jackpot ranks as the 20th-largest cash value in world history.

1. Powerball: $997.6 million cash, Nov. 7, 2022 ($2.0401 billion annuity) - California
2. Powerball: $983.5 million cash, Jan. 13, 2016 ($1.5864 billion annuity) - California, Florida, Tennessee
3. Mega Millions: $877.8 million cash, Oct. 23, 2018 ($1.537 billion annuity) - South Carolina
4. Mega Millions: $794.2 million cash, Aug. 8, 2023 ($1.602 billion annuity) - Florida
5. Mega Millions: $780.5 million cash, Jul. 29, 2022 ($1.337 billion annuity) - Illinois
6. Mega Millions: $776.6 million cash, Jan. 22, 2021 ($1.05 billion annuity) - Michigan
7. Powerball: $774.1 million cash, Oct. 11, 2023 ($1.7649 billion annuity) - California
8. Mega Millions: $723.5 million cash, Jan. 13, 2023 ($1.348 billion annuity) - Maine
9. Powerball: $621 million cash, Apr. 6, 2024 ($1.3259 billion annuity) - Oregon
10. Powerball: $558.1 million cash, Jul. 19, 2023 ($1.0798 billion annuity) - California
11. Powerball: $546.8 million cash, Jan. 20, 2021 ($731.1 million annuity) - Maryland
12. Mega Millions: $536.6 million cash, Mar. 26, 2024 ($1.128 billion annuity) - New Jersey
13. Powerball: $496 million cash, Oct. 4, 2021 ($699.8 million annuity) - California
14. Powerball: $480.5 million cash, Aug. 23, 2017 ($758.7 million annuity) - Massachusetts
15. Powerball: $477 million cash, Mar. 27, 2019 ($768.4 million annuity) - Wisconsin
16. Mega Millions: $471 million cash, Mar. 30, 2012 ($656 million annuity) - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
17. Powerball: $450.2 million cash, Jan. 5, 2022 ($632.6 million annuity) - California, Wisconsin
18. Powerball: $425.2 million cash, Jan. 1, 2024 ($842.4 million annuity) - Michigan
19. Powerball: $407.2 million cash, Feb. 6, 2023 ($754.6 million annuity) - Washington
20. Mega Millions: $404.2 million cash, Sep. 10, 2024 ($800 million annuity) - Texas
21. Powerball: $396.2 million cash, Oct. 27, 2018 ($687.8 million annuity) - Iowa, New York
22. Powerball: $384.7 million cash, Nov. 28, 2012 ($587.5 million annuity) - Arizona, Missouri
23. Powerball: $381.1 million cash, Feb. 11, 2015 ($564.1 million annuity) - North Carolina, Puerto Rico, Texas
24. Mega Millions: $378 million cash, Jul. 8, 2016 ($536 million annuity) - Indiana
25. Powerball: $370.9 million cash, May 18, 2013 ($590.5 million annuity) - Florida

The number of cash value jackpots in the top 25, by lottery game, are:

• Powerball: 16
• Mega Millions: 9