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$1.5 billion Mega Millions jackpot remains unclaimed

Posted at 11:19 AM, Nov 13, 2018
and last updated 2018-11-13 11:19:22-05

SIMPSONVILLE, S.C. - Three weeks after one ticket earned the record-breaking $1.5 billion Mega Millions jackpot, lottery officials are still waiting for a winner to come forward, WLTX reports.

Lottery officials confirmed that a ticket purchased at a convenience store in Simpsonville, South Carolina, matched all six numbers in the Oct. 23 drawing.

After the monumental win, the lottery urged the potential winner to sign the ticket, drop it in a safe and get financial advice from a planner or lawyer.

The lottery, however, does not know if the winner took that advice or why no one has spoken up.

The winner does still have plenty of time to come forward.

A winner has 180 days, or about six months, to claim their prize, giving the ticket-buyer until April 21 to officially become America's newest billionaire.

If the winner never comes forward, each participating state in the Mega Millions game gets back all the money that their state contributed. Different states use the money in different ways.

Of course, even if the winner does come forward, it's possible that the world will never know their name.

South Carolina is one of eight states where winners can remain anonymous.

The winning numbers were 5, 28, 62, 65, 70 and Mega Ball 5. The lucky player overcame miserable odds: The chance of matching all six numbers and winning the top prize is 1 in 302.5 million.