It's been nearly a week since the $1.35 billion Mega Millions jackpot found its match in a single ticket in Maine, but no one has come forward yet to claim the life-changing prize, according to reports.

The clock started ticking for the winner of the $1.35 billion Mega Millions jackpot on Friday night when the six winning numbers were drawn, according to Mass Live.

The Mega Millions winner matched all six numbers in the game - 30, 43, 45, 46, 61, and gold Mega Ball 14. The deadline for claiming the jackpot varies from state to state. According to the Mega Millions website, it might be anywhere from 90 days to a full year after the draw date, depending on the laws of the jurisdiction in question.

In Maine, the lucky Winner has up to one year to claim the grand prize. If the jackpot is not claimed in time, the participating state could get back all the money it contributed to the unclaimed prize. The Mega Millions website noted that each state uses unclaimed prizes for various purposes.

The Mega Millions winner can choose between these two methods to collect the prize: the cash option that allows the Winner to get the award in the form of one lump sum payment or the annuity option that lets the winning player receive the jackpot in annual payments for several years. 

The Maine State Lottery advised lottery winners to consult a financial advisor before making a decision.

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Can the Winner of the $1.35 Billion Mega Millions Jackpot in Maine Stay Anonymous?

While the identity of the lottery player who bought the ticket at a convenience store in Maine is unknown, that may not necessarily be the case if they come forward.

According to Maine Lottery Commission Spokesperson Sharon Huntley, the identity and hometown of the Mega Millions winner will become public knowledge once the prize is claimed, Spectrum Local News reported. Huntley noted that the winner's name and hometown are considered public information.

Nevertheless, she said it is still possible to keep the real identification of the winner under wraps. According to Huntley, public information pertains to whoever claims the prize, but a legal entity can also claim it. 

Huntley said the winner could go to an attorney to set up a trust fund before claiming the jackpot at the lottery's offices in Augusta. She noted that the winner could claim the prize in the name of the trust that would be disclosed to the public, not the winner's identity.

Huntley said winners "would have to come in having established the trust already." The $1.35 billion jackpot, the second-largest in Mega Millions history, was the first Mega Millions jackpot to be won in Maine.

Will IRS Collect Massive Tax from Mega Millions Jackpot Winners?

A screenshot of a Forbes article with the headline "Winner of $1.28 Billion Lottery Gets $433.7 Million After Tax" was posted on Instagram on January 7, USA Today reported.

"Congratulations to the IRS on winning the $846.3 million Mega Millions Jackpot," reads the text above the screenshot. In less than a week, the post received over 7,000 likes. Lots of people have interacted with similar posts on Instagram.

But this claim was reportedly false as it made a mathematical error by confusing the lump sum and long-term payouts. According to experts, a winner of that prize who took the long-term payout would pay a maximum of about $473 million in taxes, and lump sum taxes would be about $276 million.

Howard Gleckman, a senior fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, which analyzes tax issues, noted that in no scenario would a winner of a $1.28 billion jackpot pay $846 million in taxes to the IRS.

The original Forbes article, which ran in July 2022, also did not say that the IRS would collect a total of $846 million. ​​​​​Instead, the report explains how federal and state taxes would apply to a $1.28 billion lottery jackpot and estimates what the winners will likely end up with depending on their tax bracket.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

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