A lucky Mega Millions winner in Georgia scored the $989 million jackpot after the longest drought in the history of the game — but they’ll end up walking away with a lot less than that.
Friday’s winning ticket was bought in a Publix grocery store in Newnan, a town 35 miles southwest of Atlanta, following 40 days of drawing without a winner.
The jackpot ticket matched all six numbers – 1, 8, 11, 12, 57, and the Mega Ball 7, and the odds of winning were 1 in 290,472,336, according Mega Millions .
Georgia taxes lottery winnings as income at 5.14%, on top of the 24% in federal taxes withheld by the IRS.
That means out of the $989 million jackpot, the winner will take home about $240 million after taxes, if they opt for the lump sum, according to USAMega.com .
The full payout over 30

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