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There were many winners on the big Mega Millions draw of October 23^rd, 2018. While the $1.53 billion jackpot winner has yet to claim this enormous prize, news of other people who struck big that night keeps breaking out. One of the most impressive stories is that of 126 NICU nurses from Missouri.

They made an office pool and they bought tickets for the big draw. “We never thought in a million years we would win anything at all and then we came one number away from winning $1.6 billion,” said Stephanie Brinkman, one of the nurses in the syndicate.

They won the $10,000 third prize in the Mega Millions lottery and they decided to use it to do some good for people in need. Instead of collecting their individual share of the prize, “The majority said, ‘let’s give it to our co-workers, our family, the ones that are in biggest need’ so that’s what we decided to do.”

Tragically, on the very night of the Mega Millions draw, the 17-year-old son of Nurse Gretchen Post committed suicide. Part of the syndicate money went to her. “It’s actually going to pay for Jack’s funeral which I’m very grateful for,” Post said.

The rest of the money went to neonatologist Casey Orellana, whose husband, Phil, has recently been diagnosed with sarcoma. This meant that Casey had to cut down her hours at the hospital to take care of him and their two children.

“When I got that phone call (about the lottery winnings), it was a day I was wondering how we were going to pay for certain medications and it just touches your heart,” said Casey.

Both of their stories are absolutely heartbreaking, but the kind gesture made by their colleagues points out the power of kindness and community. Congratulations to the Mercy NICU nurses!

Lottery winners are often featured in the news. We’ve all read about the wild parties, the outrageous shopping sprees, and the epic financial fails, but rarely do we get to see lotto winners involved in the community. Mega Millions winner Gil Cisneros from Los Angeles is certainly making a difference as he is running for Congress.

Mr. Cisneros and his wife, Jacki, won $266 million in the Mega Millions back in 2010. They were invited on The Oprah Winfrey Show after their win and they quickly became America’s lotto sweethearts. Now, in 2018, they are back in the spotlight because Gil intends to unseat Ed Royce in the 39th Congressional District.

He is a member of the Democratic party and a Navy veteran. Since 2010, Gil and Jacki Cisneros have started two nonprofit organizations aimed at improving education options for Latino students. The two Mega Millions winners have set up scholarship programs and they have truly made a difference in their local community.

But now, Gil Cisneros is stepping up. “I think there’s an injustice going on in this district with Ed Royce, who hasn’t really served the community,” he said. His plan for Congress is focused on healthcare and he opposes Royce’s vote in favor of repealing Obamacare. He also wants to continue his work on improving the education system.

Although Mr. Cisneros is now a Democrat, he was a registered Republican up until 2008. When asked about the reason for this big change, he said “This is a diverse country that we live in and we need to be inclusive. And right now, I don’t think the Republican Party is being very inclusive.”

His main Republican opponent is Young Kim, a self-made woman with a strong political background, endorsed by Ed Royce. If elected, she would be the first Korean-American woman in Congress. The race between Cisneros and Kim has become one of the closest in recent years.

It remains to be seen if Gil Cisneros will eventually win this race, but this is only the beginning of his involvement in the political sector.

After exactly three months of roll overs, Mega Millions made a jackpot winner. A ticket holder from South Carolina will scoop the record jackpot for this lottery – $1.53 million. The cash value for this jaw-dropping prize is $878 million.

Have you tried your luck with the Mega Millions lottery on October 23^rd? Are you from South Carolina? If the answer is yes on both counts, check your ticket! The winning numbers of this historic draw were 28, 70, 5, 62, 65, and a Mega Ball of 5. There is one single ticket that matched all of them and it was purchased in South Carolina. That’s all we know so far!

But, this is not the sole winner of the draw. In addition to the jackpot winner, the Mega Millions draw of October 23^rd had 15,750,013 winning tickets. 36 of them matched the five main numbers. Their ticket holders will scoop a prize of $1 million each. Two other players added Megaplier to their ticket. This means that instead of $1 million, they will cash $3 million.

Was It a World Record?

With an estimated value of $1.6 billion, this Mega Millions jackpot was believed to be a world record. However, once the final calculations were done, the prize wound up standing at $1.537 billion. This means Powerball remains the world jackpot record holder with the $1.58 billion prize delivered in January 2016.

Nevertheless, we are speaking about a record for Mega Millions and the largest win on a single ticket. The $1.53 billion jackpot breaks the former Mega Millions record worth $656 million dating from March 2012. We don’t know if we are talking about a syndicate win or a single ticket holder. But, one thing is sure: this ticket is worth more than Powerball’s former record on a single ticket – $758.7 million pocketed by Mavis Wanczyk in August 2017.

Besides, the $1.537 billion jackpot is certainly number one in Mega Millions jackpot winners Hall of Fame.

Why Did the Jackpot Amount Change?

The Mega Millions officials estimated that the jackpot at $1.6 billion, which would have been an all-times record for US lotteries. But, the morning after the draw Mega Millions said the total ended up being $1.537 billion.

A spokeswoman for the Maryland Lottery explained in a phone interview with The Associated Press that estimated amounts are calculated based on historical patterns. As about 70 percent of ticket sales occur on the day of the draw, it is quite difficult to forecast precise numbers. The final calculations usually translate into a boost in the jackpot’s value, but this time it went the opposite way. Moreover, this made the difference between Mega Millions being the world record holder for largest jackpot in the lottery history books or not.

What Happens Now?

As of this morning, the Mega Millions jackpot has been reset to its initial value of $40 million. If nobody matches all the numbers, it will roll over until someone gets lucky again. So, don’t hesitate and play Mega Millions online! They might not make people queue for a ticket, but Mega Millions jackpots are life-changing any given day.

In the meantime, the other American lottery giant – Powerball displays a $620 million jackpot. So, you still have the chance of becoming a multi-millionaire!