MegaMillions Player Wins € 422 Million Jackpot on His Second Attempt at Lotto
Posted: Monday, 16 April 2018
A MegaMillions player has just won the tenth-biggest lottery prize of all-time – and the really remarkable thing is that he did it on his second attempt at playing lotto.
Richard Wahl, a food services production manager from New Jersey, United States, called by a gas store with $22 for some petrol, a Diet Coke and a couple of tickets for the March 30th MegaMillions draw. One of those tickets turned out to be the perfect match to win a $521 million jackpot (worth € 422 Million).
47-year-old Wahl had started playing lotto the previous week, after chatting with a colleague about his hopes for retirement.
This was only the second time he had ever dabbled in lottery betting – and it would just so happen to be the smartest move of his life. He told reporters, “I drive past that (Mega Millions) sign every day and don’t buy.” Good job you changed your ways, Richard!
His winning numbers were 11, 28, 31, 46 and 59, plus the Mega Ball 1.
Here’s how MegaMillions’ representatives in New Jersey broke the news that the big win had taken place in their state:
CHECK YOUR TICKETS NEW JERSEY!! One lucky ticket sold at Riverdale Lukoil South in Riverdale was the sole winner of last night’s $521 million #MegaMillions jackpot!! https://t.co/B6st9j0txx
— New Jersey Lottery (@TheNJLottery) March 31, 2018
Wahl told reporters, “I can tell you, it didn’t sink in. It was truly amazing.
“It’s not only life-changing money for me, but I want it to be life-changing money for others. The plan is to do a lot of good things with it. It will help a lot of my family and friends that maybe struggle every single day, living check-by-check.”
“We’re not the type that’s going to run out and spend all the money,” Wahl said. “We’re a humble family. We’ll keep our roots.”
He also said he plans to fulfil his lifelong dream of restoring a 1963 Corvette. You have great taste in cars, Richard!
How does this rank amongst the world’s biggest lottery wins?
It’s a biggie. Wahl’s $521 million windfall goes down as the second-biggest lottery jackpot payout of 2018 so far (the $559.7 million Powerball win that happened on January 6th remains the biggest of the year).
It also ranks as the tenth-biggest jackpot payout ever produced by a regular lottery, and the fourth-biggest in MegaMillions.
Remarkably, the biggest-ever MegaMillions jackpot was also paid out on the same date – the 30th of March – in 2012. On that occasion, three winning tickets shared a $656 million prize that broke the world record for a lottery jackpot at the time.
Back in October 2017, the Multi-State Lotto Organisation announced a raft of changes to the MegaMillions format, designed to deliver bigger jackpots more often, whilst also delivering more lower prizes. Judging by Richard Wahl’s success this spring, the plan seems to be working like a charm.
How to bet on MegaMillions
Has all this talk got you excited at the prospect of winning a mega jackpot of your own? You can do it here at PlayEuroLotto, by betting online on the results of any MegaMillions draw.
Simply head over to our MegaMillions betting page, then select five numbers from 1 to 70 plus a Mega Ball from 1 to 25 on the number picker. All that remains to do then is add your bet to the Cart and keep your fingers crossed!
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