MANDARIN, Fla. — In the second-largest Mega Millions drawing in the game’s history, people in Jacksonville and across the country hope to win the $1.28 billion jackpot.
“I would be really excited to win, and I’ve got a lot of good plans. I might drop off the face of the earth a little bit,” Wade Schemer said.
For some time, he has come to The Little Lucky Store in Mandarin, which is known for selling several winning tickets.
Schemer said if he wins, he would spread the love.
“I would probably get my mom a new car, and after that, what makes sense,” he said.
With the pandemic, high gas prices, and inflation, Schemer said it has been a tough couple of years. That is why he was not surprised so many people have bought into the dream of being a billionaire.
Action News Jax asked the Florida Lottery Commission about who gets a cut.
A sole jackpot winner can choose to be paid in 30 annual installments or take a one-time, lump sum of approximately $747.2 million.
The commission said this series of jackpot rollovers has generated more than $49.5 million for Florida education.
The store that sells the winning ticket will get a $100,000 bonus, the commission said.
Uncle Sam would get a cut too, of course. The IRS requires the Florida Lottery to deduct 24% federal withholding tax from prizes more than $5,000 if the winner is a citizen and 30% for non-resident winners.
If he is not the lucky winner, Schemer hopes it will at least be someone from Jacksonville.
“Hopefully, they do big things for the community,” he said.
Mega Millions’ largest prize in history was $1.537 billion back in 2018.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
