California ticket wins $1.22 billion Mega Millions jackpot

A lucky player in Northern California has won an estimated $1.22 billion in the Mega Millions lottery.

The ticket sold at Sunshine Food and Gas in Cottonwood, a small town in Shasta County, matched all six numbers in Friday night’s draw, ending a three-month dry spell without a top prize winner.

The winning combination — 3, 7, 37, 49, 55 and gold Mega Ball 6 — were drawn on Friday. The identity of the winner has not yet been revealed.

The $1.22 billion price is available as an annuity paid over 29 years. However, most grand prize winners choose the lump sum cash payout, which for this drawing is estimated at $549.7 million.

Two additional tickets sold in California were also winners, each earning runner-up prizes of $787,543 for matching five of the six numbers — just missing the Mega Ball. The tickets were sold in Marin and Riverside counties.

The Mega Millions jackpot had been growing since September 10, when the last top prize winner was crowned. Despite the long odds of 1 in 302.6 million, the lure of a billion payout spurred continued ticket buying, fueling a jackpot that eventually topped $1 billion.

It is the second time in just over a year that the Mega Millions jackpot has reached nine figures. In August 2023, a ticket sold in Florida claimed the largest Mega Millions prize in history at $1.6 billion. That record was eclipsed only by two massive Powerball jackpots that have surpassed the $2 billion mark.