Mega Millions confirms final jackpot for winning ticket in South Carolina is $1.537 billion, close to the all-time record

G-Jun Yam/AP

• Mega Millions has confirmed that the final jackpot for the winning lottery ticket sold in South Carolina is $1.537 billion.
• The winning ticket for the lottery was sold in South Carolina, the state lottery said on early Wednesday.
• It is close to the all-time record of the $1.586 billion jackpot for a Powerball drawing in 2016, according to Reuters.
• The winner has two options: a one-off payment of $904 million, or gradual payments which would pay out the full prize over 29 years (roughly $53 million a year).

Mega Millions has confirmed that the final jackpot for the winning lottery ticket sold in South Carolina is $1.537 billion - close to the all-time record jackpot for any lottery.

The winning ticket for the lottery was sold in South Carolina, the state lottery said on early Wednesday.

A lottery official said early on Wednesday that only one ticket was sold that matched all six numbers in the lottery draw, Reuters reported.

The winner has two options: an immediate cash payment of around $904 million or the full prize paid out over 29 years.

The buyer beat the odds of 1 in 303 million to win the Mega Millions lottery.

The record is a $1.586 billion jackpot for a Powerball drawing in 2016, according to Reuters.