It was Maine’s first Mega Millions jackpot — and someone beat the ill fortune of Friday the 13th to win it.
The lucky combination of numbers drawn late Friday night were: 30, 43, 45, 46, 61 and gold Mega Ball 14.
Fred Cotreau, the owner of the Hometown Gas & Grill gas station where the ticket was sold, joined “Morning in America” to share what he is going to do with his bonus for selling the winning ticket.
Unfortunately, unlike the other states that may get a bigger bonus, in Maine, Cotreau’s store was only awarded $50,000.
“The state of Maine gets over $400 million, so I’m going to go to the state house and see what I can negotiate,” Cotreau joked.
However, Cotreau was excited as ever to have one of his customers win the lottery.
The winner, whose name is not yet known, overcame steep odds of 1 in 302.6 million, which led to three months of drawings without a claim on the jackpot.
“This is exciting. We’re a small rural community,” Cotreau said. “We’ve got the hometown social club that’s comprised mainly of retired men that come in every morning for coffee, so we’re all anxiously waiting to see what happens.”
Cotreau explained that he has only owned the gas station for three years, but the place had been in business for approximately 16 years.
He said he was going to disperse half of his winnings to the staff based on how long they’ve been working with him, and then added he was thinking about doing something nice for the town. The rest of the funds would go back into the business to help make it a better place to shop.
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 was $1.53 billion claimed by a single ticket holder in South Carolina in October 2018.
Friday’s prosperous drawing also marked the seventh time there was a grand prize winner on Friday the 13th, a date superstitiously considered unlucky.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A customer gets gas by the Hometown Gas & Grill Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023, in Lebanon, Maine. A Mega Millions ticket purchased in the York County town of Lebanon, Maine, matched the winning numbers for Friday night’s estimated $1.35 billion grand prize. The Maine State Lottery says the winning ticket was sold at Hometown Gas & Grill. (Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald via AP)
Hometown Gas & Grill owner Fred Cotreau greets customers on Saturday morning, Jan. 14, 2023, in Lebanon, Maine. A Mega Millions ticket purchased in the York County town of Lebanon, Maine, that was sold at the store matched the winning numbers for Friday night’s estimated $1.35 billion grand prize. “We are anxiously awaiting the winner to be revealed,” Cotreau explained to the many questions from patrons regarding who the winner is. (Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald via AP)
Customers are shown in the Hometown Gas & Grill on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023, Lebanon, Maine. A Mega Millions ticket purchased in the York County town of Lebanon, Maine, matched the winning numbers for Friday night’s estimated $1.35 billion grand prize. The Maine State Lottery says the winning ticket was sold at Hometown Gas & Grill. (Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald via AP)
People wait in line at the Lotto Store at Primm just inside the California border Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, near Primm, Nev. Mega Millions players will have another chance Friday night to end months of losing and finally win a jackpot that has grown to $1.35 billion. (AP Photo/John Locher)
People wait in line at “The Lotto Store at Primm” just inside the California border Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, near Primm, Nev. Mega Millions players will have another chance Friday night to end months of losing and finally win a jackpot that has grown to $1.35 billion. (AP Photo/John Locher)
People buy lottery tickets at the “Lotto Store at Primm” just inside the California border Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, near Primm, Nev. Mega Millions players will have another chance Friday night to end months of losing and finally win a jackpot that has grown to $1.35 billion. (AP Photo/John Locher)
People wait in line around the building at the Lotto Store at Primm just inside the California border, Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, near Primm, Nev. Mega Millions players will have another chance Friday night to end months of losing and finally win a jackpot that has grown to $1.35 billion. (AP Photo/John Locher)
FILE – A Mega Millions sign displays the estimated jackpot of $1.35 billion as a customer purchases a Mega Millions ticket at the Cranberry Super Mini Mart in Cranberry, Pa., Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023. Someone matched all six numbers Friday and won the jackpot, overcoming steep odds that led to three months of drawings without a winner.( AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
