Two people come forward to claim $1.34bn Mega Millions jackpot after nearly eight weeks

‘When we met with the winners’ lawyers there was a real buzz of excitement in the room,’ lottery claims manager says

Two people have come forward to claim the $1.34bn Mega Millions jackpot almost eight weeks after the drawing.

The winners - who chose to remain anonymous - said they agreed to split the prize money if they won and that they are “over the moon” with the result, according to Fox 32.

Illinois Lottery Director Harold Mays said the duo purchased their Mega Millions tickets on a stop at a Speedway station in Des Plaines.

“That turned out to be an absolutely life-changing decision when a $3 line of Mega Millions with Megaplier turned into a $1.34bn jackpot win,” he added, Fox 32 reported.

The winners chose to receive a lump sum payment of $780.5m after having worked with both financial and legal advisers over the course of the last few weeks.

Illinois Lottery Claims Manager Luis Rodriguez said: “I’ve been working for the Illinois Lottery for over five years, and this is by far the largest prize I’ve ever had to process. When we met with the winners’ lawyers there was a real buzz of excitement in the room”.

The Mega Millions jackpot became the third biggest lottery win in the country and managed to grow to its significant size after 29 drawings in a row without a winner. After not finding a winner since 15 April, the jackpot was finally struck during a drawing on 29 July.

In Illinois, those who win more than $250,000 can choose not to have their names made public, according to Fox 32.

Lottery officials said on Wednesday that the winning ticket was purchased in a suburb of Chicago, the Associated Press reported.

“These winners are now in the enviable position of deciding what to do with their newfound fortune,” Mr Mays added, according to the AP.

The megamillions.com site states that the winning ticket had the lucky numbers 13-36-45-57-67 with a Mega Ball of 14.