Another jackpot Mega Millions ticket has New York roots, this one worth $20 million.
If you’re interested in playing the New York Lottery, now is the time to get in on the action. Back-to-back Mega Millions winners have been sold in the Empire state, according to the NY Lottery.
The golden ticket for the April 18 drawing was sold in East Syracuse at Church Wine and Liquor located at 6340 Kirkvile Rd. The ticket, while worth $20 million on its face, equates to around $6.8 million after taxes.
Who won the latest Mega Millions jackpot?
At the time of this writing, the lucky New Yorker has yet to step forward and claim the prize. They have one year from the date of the drawing to do so or the ticket expires.
The winning numbers for the drawing were 7-9-15-19-25 and the Mega Ball was 4. It marks the 41st time a NY resident hit the jackpot, per Mega Millions.
The first five numbers for Mega Millions fall within the field 1 to 70, and the Mega Ball comes between 1 and 25.
Matching all six Mega Millions numbers carries 1 in 302,575,350 odds. According to a study from the University at Buffalo, an individual is more likely to become president of the United States than they are to match all six Mega Millions numbers.
NY Lottery string of Mega Millions winners
The latest jackpot comes just days after the April 14 Mega Millions drawing saw a New Yorker come out on top. That one was good for an eye-popping $476 million payday, breaking the state’s all-time Mega Millions win total record.
After taxes, the winning ticket holds a $156.7 million New York City cash value. That lands in the NY Lottery history books as the 13th-largest prize handed out, and the 13th-highest Mega Millions victory.
Liberty Beer & Convenience, located at 93-18 Liberty Ave in Ozone Park, was the purchase site of the ticket. Store owners received $10,000 from the NY Lottery for selling it.
The last time New York saw dominance of this magnitude came from the Yankees when they won three straight World Series in 1998, 1999 and 2000. Can the New York Lottery match the Bronx Bombers and get a third-consecutive Mega Millions winner? We’ll have to wait and see, starting with the April 21 drawing.
How is lottery funding spent in New York?
The state is jumping for joy along with the two recent Mega Millions winners, as they continue landing huge paydays from lottery taxes. In the Empire State, all lottery funds go to public schooling.
A vote in 1966 to determine where lottery profits would go. Education funding won the polls with a 66% vote. Since then, that cause has received all lottery money.
The NY Lottery uses a statutory formula to determine how to distribute the funds throughout the state — the same one used to distribute aid. Among the variables utilized, the size of a school district and income levels.
The New York education system received $3.6 billion from the lottery in fiscal year 2021-2022.
