One week ago, lottery frenzy peaked after Mega Millions zeroed in on $1 billion — and after months of rollovers, we have a winner just before the 2025 Thanksgiving holiday.
A Publix grocery store in Georgia sold the sole ticket that matched five numbers plus the Mega Ball in the Friday, Nov. 14, Mega Millions drawing for $980 million. A week after the epic win, the jackpot remained the eighth-largest in Mega Millions history (see below).
Mega Millions reset to $50 million on Nov. 18, and rolled over later night, forgoing a repeat for another holiday season with a billion-dollar Mega Millions lottery jackpot.
In 2024, one lucky lottery player had quite a holiday season: Just after Christmas and Hanukkah and ahead of New Year’s Eve, a ticket in California correctly matched all five numbers plus the Mega Ball to win the $1.22 billion Mega Millions drawing for Friday, Dec. 27, 2024.
Months later, the winner was revealed on the luckiest holiday of all — St. Patrick’s Day 2025. Rosemary Casarotti of California officially collected her prize.
Had the Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, Mega Millions drawing rolled over, it would have been the second billion-dollar lottery jackpot for 2025 and the 14th overall in the history of Powerball and Mega Millions.
But since there was a winner, all eyes are on the $980 million prize. Final sales pushed the total to $983 million, according to the Georgia Lottery.
How much is the cash option? How long is the deadline to claim? Can the winner stay anonymous? Keep reading for answers to those questions. Here’s what we know about the $983 million Mega Millions winner in Georgia.
A day after the record-setting Mega Millions drawing, the Georgia Lottery announced where the winning ticket was purchased and from what city. At this time, it is not known who was the winner of the $983 million Mega Millions grand prize. The vetting process typically takes a few weeks, according to organizations like the California Lottery.
The $980 million Mega Millions ticket was sold at Publix, 4000 N. Highway 29, Newnan, Georgia, for the Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, Mega Millions lottery drawing. It was a quick pick ticket.
The Georgia Lottery said the store received a $50,000 commission.
Retail bonuses vary by state — for example, two Publix stores in Florida received $100,000 each during previous billion-dollar jackpots (see below). In California, retailers get $1,000,000.
The sole jackpot winner could claim $980 million over 30 annual payments or take a one-time lump sum, valued at nearly $452.2 million before federal taxes.
Mega Millions jackpot winners have 180 days from the date of the drawing to claim their prizes, per Georgia Lottery rules. In this case, the $980 million Mega Millions winner from Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, drawing has until Wednesday, May 13, 2026, to claim their prize in person at Georgia Lottery headquarters.
Lottery rules vary by state. In Florida, for example, Mega Millions and Powerball jackpot winners have 60 days to claim the one-time lump sum and six months from the date of the drawing for the annual payments.
In California, it is public record to know who won a Mega Millions, Powerball or California Lottery drawing, where the winning ticket was sold and whether the winner claimed the prize in lump sum or 30 annual payments.
The winning numbers for the Mega Millions drawing on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, were 1-8-11-12-57 and the Mega Ball was 7.
The Georgia jackpot winning ticket wasn’t the only lucky ticket. A ticket purchased in Michigan matched 5 plus the 3X Multiplier for a $3 million prize.
Mega Millions tickets start at $5 apiece.
Georgia Lottery rules state a winner could come forward via a “corporation, partnership or trust. Groups, families, clubs or organizations can designate one individual or legal entity to receive a prize payment, or if the prize amount won is $5,001 or greater, individual prize payments (of $601 or greater) can be made to each group member, up to 25 members.”
If the $980 million Mega Millions winner in Georgia claims the prize as a corporation or trust, that could help keep their anonymity.
In some states, a winner has to come forward with their name, city of residence and whether the cash option or full amount was chosen, like California.
According to Florida Lottery’s website, winners cannot remain anonymous: “Florida law mandates that the Florida Lottery provide records containing information such as the winner’s name, city of residence; game won, date won, and amount won to any third party who requests the information.”
However, the site states, the “names of lottery winners claiming prizes of $250,000 or greater will be temporarily exempt from public disclosure for 90 days from the date the prize is claimed, unless otherwise waived by the winner.”
As of Nov. 21, 2025, these are the largest Mega Millions prizes in the history of the game, according to megamillions.com.
As of Nov. 21, 2025, there have been 13 lottery jackpots that have reached or surpassed $1 billion. Only once has a jackpot surpassed $2 billion. These are the biggest lottery jackpots in U.S. history.
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.