The $1.337 Billion Illinois Mega Millions Claim

The July 29, 2022 Mega Millions jackpot was won by one ticket sold in Illinois. The prize was later claimed through The Saltines LLC.

The jackpot and cash option

The advertised annuity jackpot was $1.337 billion.

The cash option was approximately $780.5 million before taxes.

That $780.5 million figure was the cash value of the jackpot, not an amount that could be divided into “half a billion each” after tax.

Who were the winners?

The public claimant was The Saltines LLC. The individual beneficial owner or owners were not publicly identified in the verified claimant record. There is no documentary support for saying that two specific individuals shared the money.

Claim timing

The jackpot was claimed in September 2022 after weeks of public interest in the still unclaimed ticket.

Illinois privacy rules allowed qualifying winners to request confidentiality, which helps explain why the public did not receive the kind of personal winner profile seen in some other states.

The event in brief

One jackpot winning ticket was sold in Des Plaines, Illinois.

The jackpot was $1.337 billion as an advertised annuity, with an approximately $780.5 million cash option before taxes.

The prize was claimed through The Saltines LLC.