Mega Millions Lottery: Here’s What Happens When Mr. Cupcakes Wins A Million Bucks

The Mega Millions lottery saw no new jackpot winners in Friday’s drawing, one which saw the multi-state lottery reset to the minimum $15 million after one ticket purchased at a gas station in upstate New York won a staggering $326 million prize.

The size of last Tuesday’s Mega Millions jackpot was actually bigger than advertised, lottery officials said, after higher-than-expected ticket sales pushed the total up from the announced $321 million.

But while there were no second-prize, million-dollar winners in Friday’s Mega Millions game — despite respectable sales of more than 17 million tickets — there were five coming out of Tuesday’s drawing. And one of those new millionaires stood out — because he’s Mr. Cupcakes.

Well, actually, 57-year-old John Manganiotis of Saddle Brook, New Jersey, mainly helps out his son, Johnny Manganiotis, 29, who founded and owns the Mr. Cupcakes bakery in Chatham, New Jersey. But on Monday, father and son were out running errands when the elder cupcake man decided to spring for a few lottery tickets as they passed a liquor store.

Tuesday came and went and both Manganiotis men, who are next-door-neighbors as well as business associates, thought nothing of the Mega Millions tickets. But on Wednesday, Johnny was leafing through the local newspaper when he noticed an article about the massive Mega Millions jackpot — and article that happened to mention that one of the second-prize tickets was purchased at the exact liquor store where John had purchased his.

He immediately called his dad, who checked his ticket and saw that, sure enough, he had all five of the Mega Millions numbers, missing only the separately drawn Mega Ball. But John had no idea what that meant.

“You won the million dollars!” Johnny excitedly explained. “I was like, ‘I’m coming over!'”

The two of them headed down to the New Jersey State Lottery office on Thursday after eating breakfast at McDonald’s, found out they had indeed won a million bucks — which comes to $720,000 after taxes — then they grabbed lunch at Wendy’s.

“I guarantee you, nobody who just won a million dollars eats McDonald’s for breakfast and Wendy’s for lunch,” Johnny told the Record, the same paper where he learned about the winning lottery ticket in the first place.

So what does Mr. Cupcakes do with a million bucks, other than shell out $280,000 in taxes? Well, he could buy more than 400,000 cupcakes from Mr. Cupcakes. But more likely, John Manganiotis will donate a portion of his winnings to the charities, Children’s Specialized Hospital and Let Them Be Little X2.

The latter charity supports kids with Hunter Syndrome, a genetic condition that causes severe neurological damage in children.

There were still more than $2 million won in Friday’s Mega Millions drawing, even though no one won the jackpot or the million-dollar “Match Five.” Here are the winning numbers, drawn at 10:59 p.m. in Atlanta, Georgia:

31 — 35 — 41 — 65 — 66 Mega Ball 5

Tuesday’s Mega Millions drawing carries a $20 million jackpot, or $12 million to a winner who takes the money in a single payment.