Single Ticket Is Winner in $197-Million Big Game Jackpot

A single ticket purchased at Star Market near Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, beat 76-million-to-1 odds to win a $197-million Big Game jackpot, the second-largest lottery prize in U.S. history.

The identity of the winner or winners remained a mystery as of Wednesday night.

“Someone’s sitting in their lawyer’s office right now, you can imagine that, or the accountant’s office, probably their travel agent’s office as well,” said Treasurer Shannon O’Brien, who oversees the state lottery.

The mystery winner of a prize that had eluded the buyers of 328 million tickets since February has a year to claim the prize.

The pot can be taken in a lump sum of about $70.2 million after taxes, or in 26 annual payments of about $5.1 million after taxes. In addition to Massachusetts, the game is also played in Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan and Virginia.

The golden ticket, numbers 12, 17, 22, 33, and 44 with the Big Money Ball of 25, was purchased Tuesday night.

The country’s biggest jackpot was Powerball’s $295 million prize in July. Thirteen Ohio machinists, dubbed the Lucky 13, pooled their money and shared the prize.