How Little Money The ‘Mega Millions’ Winner Will Actually Bring Home After Taxes

Although the jackpot for Friday's Mega Millions drawing has grown to $1.35 billion -- the second-highest in U.S. history -- that's not exactly how much the person who matches all six numbers will bring home.

According to FOX 4, the full jackpot amount is offered only to people who agree to take their winnings in payments spread out over 29 years. However, most winners decide to take the entire prize at once, which means they'll receive less money.

In this case, the winner would get $707.9 million of the $1.35 billion that's being touted, per lottery officials. But it gets even worse. The IRS immediately takes 24 percent of all lottery winnings over $5,000, lowering the lump sum value of Friday's jackpot to $538 million, sources say. Plus, that money will count as income, meaning the winner will pay even more taxes on the jackpot next April. OUCH!

There are some states that are luckier than others. There is no doubt about it. North Carolina made the list of 15 lucky states in the United States, according to OLBG. Everyone has fantasized about winning the lottery, whether it's the Mega Millions or the Powerball. Whether you're planning a lavish vacation, buying a house, treating a loved one, giving to charity, or all of the above, when we buy a ticket we always have a little bit of hope and our imaginations go wild when we hear about the unclaimed winning ticket...

When it comes to winning big on the lottery, which states are the luckiest? To determine where in America has the greatest likelihood of winning the big bucks, OLBG analyzed all lottery winners in the U.S. with a jackpot of $300 million or more. You can see the top 15 states below.

California was ranked 12th luckiest state despite having the highest number of big lottery winners, primarily because the state has such a large population that there are very few lottery winners, and the average winning ticket for a California winner is only $190.5 million.

North Carolina has won a whopping $1.1 billion between both lottery winners, making its average winning ticket $550 million, the highest in the country. As a result of its higher population, North Carolina didn't quite capture the title by itself, with a lower percentage of its population winning than New Hampshire.

In terms of lottery jackpot winners, New Hampshire and North Carolina share the gold for the luckiest states. Residents in New Hampshire have won a total of $693.7 million, which is an average of $346.85 million per winning ticket. As one of the states with the highest percentage of people who have won over $300 million, New Hampshire has the third smallest population.