Built-in multiplier under new game format doubles third-tier prize
A Mega Millions player in Waldorf is holding a ticket worth $20,000.
The lucky ticket for the May 13 drawing was sold at the 7-Eleven at 11575 Berry Road in Charles County. The winning numbers were 6, 29, 33, 47, 68; and the Mega Ball was 20.
The ticket sold in Waldorf matched four of the first five numbers and also matched the Mega Ball number, which delivered a base prize of $10,000. Under the new Mega Millions format, which launched in April, every $5 play includes a built-in multiplier of 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X or 10X. The Waldorf ticket carried a 2X multiplier, doubling the prize to $20,000. The game’s new format does not have any “breakeven” prizes. The minimum prize on any winning Mega Millions ticket is $10, so any win pays at least double the $5 cost to play.
Since no one matched all five numbers and the Mega Ball, the Mega Millions jackpot climbed to an estimated annuity value of $122 million with an estimated cash option of $54.8 million for the next drawing on May 16. Across the 47 states and jurisdictions where Mega Millions is sold, there were more than 208,000 winning tickets in the May 13 drawing, including more than 5,700 in Maryland.
Lottery officials encourage all winners to sign the backs of their tickets immediately and put them in a safe location. They get 182 days from the date of the drawing to claim their prizes.
Instructions for claiming prizes are available on the How to Claim page of the Lottery website. Prizes of more than $25,000 must be claimed through Lottery headquarters, either in person or by mail. Lottery headquarters is in the Montgomery Park Business Center, 1800 Washington Blvd., Suite 330, in Baltimore. An appointment is required to claim in person (no walk-ins). The appointment scheduling page shows all available appointment times.
