It has taken 12 years, but somebody who bought a Mega Millions lottery ticket in Minnesota has won the jackpot.
A clerk at a Holiday gas station in Ramsey on Wednesday morning said the station near St. Francis Boulevard and Nowthen Boulevard sold the winning ticket, which was later confirmed by Minnesota State Lottery officials.
"It's pretty exciting," said the clerk, who did not give her name because she is not authorized to speak to the media.
The station earns a $50,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket, a Minnesota State Lottery official said.
The lucky ticketholder, who has not yet come forward, was the lone player in Tuesday's drawing to match all six numbers needed to win the estimated prize of $110 million, with a $66.9 million cash option. It's the first time since Minnesota joined the Mega Millions game in 2010 that the top prize has been won in the state, lottery officials said.
The winning ticket matched the five white balls drawn from the hopper — 2, 8, 14, 20 and 31 — plus the gold Mega Ball, 17.
The winner has a year to claim the prize.
Four other players matched all five white balls to win the game's second prize. One player in New Jersey who added the Megaplier, which doubles a player's winnings, won $2 million, while another player in New Jersey and one each in Florida and Maryland won $1 million, lottery officials said.
This is the third Mega Millions jackpot to be awarded this year. The first was a $426 million prize in California on Jan. 28. A $128 million prize was won March 8 in New York.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
