Someone in California has a winning Mega Millions ticket worth about $1.22 billion, which was drawn on Friday.
The ticket with the numbers 3, 7, 37, 49, 55, and gold Mega Ball 6 was sold at Sunshine Food and Gas on Rhonda Road in Cottonwood, the Associated Press (AP) reported on Saturday:
However, the identity of the winner or winners of the lottery remain a mystery. The AP article continued:
The total amount of the Mega Millions jackpot would only be distributed to a winner who chooses an annuity paid over 29 years. Nearly all grand prize winners opt to take a cash payout, which for Friday night’s drawing is an estimated $549.7 million.
Despite the game’s long odds of 1 in 302.6 million, players continued to purchase tickets as the size of the grand prize grew. Until Friday, the last time a Mega Millions player hit the top prize was Sept. 10.
Friday was the 37th time a Mega Millions jackpot was won in California, per the New York Post.
In a statement, Mega Millions lead director Joshua Johnston said, “What an amazing present this holiday season! At an incredibly special time of year, this is both an incredibly special moment for our winner, and for all the great organizations and causes that benefit from lottery ticket sales around the country.”
ABC 7 noted that Tuesday’s drawing is now set at $20 million:
“The $1.22 billion jackpot is the fifth largest in Mega Millions history, beating out the $1.12 billion drawn on March 26, 2024, at a ShopRite in Neptune, New Jersey,” the Post article read.
“The winner of the now sixth-largest jackpot in Mega Millions history came forward and submitted their $1.128 billion ticket on Monday to start the collection process — nine months after the drawing,” it continued.
Before the billion dollar drawing on Friday, people stood in line outside the Blue Bird Liquor Store in Hawthorne, California, to buy lottery tickets in hopes of getting those lucky numbers, according to Fox 11:
The AP report said the cost for a Mega Millions ticket will jump from $2 to $5 in April.