Winner of $1.35 billion Mega Millions jackpot claims prize

Fred Cotreau, owner of Hometown Gas and Grill in Lebanon, stands in front of the convenient store where a winning Mega Millions ticket was sold last month. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

The winner of the $1.35 billion Mega Millions jackpot has come forward to accept the prize.

The ticket holder accepted the winnings through the limited liability company LaKoma Island Investments LLC, Maine Lottery announced Wednesday, and chose the cash option, a one-time payment of $723,564,144 before taxes.

According to Maine Lottery, a representative for the winner stated, “The winner of the Mega Millions jackpot is thoughtfully considering the best uses of the life-changing prize.”

The winning ticket was for the Jan. 13 drawing and was sold at the Hometown Gas & Grill in Lebanon, generating much excitement and speculation in the small York County town. The winner overcame odds of 1 in 302.6 million to snag the jackpot.

The jackpot was the second-largest in Mega Millions history and the fourth time the game has had a billion-dollar win. The largest Mega Millions jackpot in October 2018 was $1.53 billion claimed by a single ticket holder in South Carolina. Two Powerball jackpots have been larger, with one eclipsing $2 billion

Fred Cotreau, the owner of Hometown Gas & Grill, was awarded $50,000 for selling the winning ticket. He said he planned to share some of the money with his staff.

The owner of the winning ticket had up to a year to claim the prize. The winner can go to the lottery offices in Augusta to claim their winnings or set up a trust, which would allow them to remain anonymous.

“We congratulate the winner of the Mega Millions jackpot and wish them all the best as they consider how to best use their recent winnings,” Michael Boardman, director of the Maine Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations, said in a statement.

This story will be updated.