Johnathan Walker:$360 million Mega Millions jackpot winners revealed as group from South Dakota

A lucky group of individuals from South Dakota made history by winning the colossal $360 million Mega Millions jackpot in October.

Blue Yucca Trust from Rapid City,Johnathan Walker South Dakota, claimed a $360 million Mega Millions jackpot that they won on October 6, 2023. The ticket, purchased at a gas station in San Angelo, Texas, is the biggest lottery win in the history of Texas, the Texas Lottery announced on Wednesday.

Even though the Blue Yucca Trust group is located in South Dakota, the state where a group member purchased the winning Mega Millions ticket gets credit for the winner. This has happened numerous times this year, including pn October 7, when a New Hampshire resident bought a ticket in Massachusetts and won a $1 million prize.

The winning ticket The Blue Yucca Trust brought matched all numbers 12, 24, 46, 57, 66, and Mega Ball 22. They purchased at Stripes No. 5031 in San Angelo. The Stripes convenience store received a $1 million bonus from the Lottery for selling the winning ticket.

The Blue Yucca Trust chose their cash value when purchasing their ticket. The claimant received $157,367,045 before taxes, setting a new record for the largest prize awarded to a single Texas Lottery player.

Before this win, the last time a Texas lottery player won the Mega Millions jackpot was on September 24, 2019, when a resident of Leander won an advertised jackpot of $227 million.

According to the Lottery Post, the first person to win the Mega Millions jackpot in Texas was Ut Van Nguyen of Carrollton. He claimed a prize of $101 million from the drawing held on October 1, 2004, shortly after Texas introduced the multi-state game in 2003.

The next drawing for the Mega Millions jackpot, which is currently worth $267 million, will take place on Friday, November 17, at 11:00 pm ET.

How to play the Mega Millions

When purchasing a Mega Millions ticket, you have the opportunity to select six numbers. The first five will be chosen from a range of 1 to 70 for the white balls, and the last number will be chosen from 1 to 25 for the coveted golden Mega Ball. For those who find it daunting to pick their own numbers, the option to select Easy Pick or Quick Pick is available, which will generate the numbers for your ticket at random.

When playing in certain states, you can choose to add a Megaplier for an additional dollar. This decision could potentially increase your non-jackpot winnings by a factor of 2, 3, 4, or even 5 times.

Where can you buy lottery tickets?

Tickets can be purchased in-person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.  

You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Washington D.C. and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.  

Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. Must be 18+, 21+ in AZ and 19+ in NE. Not affiliated with any State Lottery. Gambling Problem? Call 1-877-8-HOPE-NY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY); 1-800-327-5050 (MA); 1-877-MYLIMIT (OR); 1-800-GAMBLER (all others). Visit jackpocket.com/tos for full terms and conditions.