Lady Luck blessed a fortunate lottery player in California who has claimed the winning ticket for Friday night’s $1.22 billion Mega Millions jackpot.
Videos by Suggest
A lucky ticket sold in Cottonwood, California, has brought an incredible end to one winner’s 2024. The Mega Millions jackpot, valued at an estimated $1.22 billion, offers a cash payout option of $549.7 million, according to lottery officials in a press release.
The fifth-largest Mega Millions jackpot marks a rare occurrence in a year with surprisingly few big winners. So far, there have been only three jackpot winners this year. The most recent was in Texas on September 10, when someone claimed a $552 million prize.
“Congratulations to our $1.22 billion jackpot winner from California,” Joshua Johnston, lead director for the Mega Millions Consortium, said in a press release. “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. Thank you to everyone who plays. Because of you, we have winners all around the country taking home cash prizes both big and small. We have educational causes, parks, and many other great organizations benefiting as well.”
Friday’s Mega Millions Also Resulted in Five $1 Million Winners
Meanwhile, Friday’s drawing resulted in five $1 million winners, according to the lottery. The fortunate winners come from Arizona, Missouri, Texas, and two others from California.
The $1.22 billion jackpot-winning ticket was sold in Cottonwood, California. It’s a small town of approximately 6,300 residents located 200 miles north of San Francisco. According to the California Lottery, the lucky ticket was purchased at Sunshine Food and Gas, located at 3505 Rhonda Road.
The winning numbers for the Friday, December 27 Mega Millions drawing were 3, 7, 37, 49, and 55 for the white balls, with a gold Mega Ball of 6 and a 3X multiplier, according to the lottery.
This marks the 37th time a Mega Millions jackpot has been claimed in California. That makes it the second-highest winning state after New York, which leads with 44 victories, per The New York Post.
This $1.22 billion prize marks the fifth-largest jackpot in Mega Millions history. It surpassed the $1.12 billion on March 26, 2024, at a ShopRite in Neptune, New Jersey.
The next Mega Millions drawing, scheduled for December 31, will feature the default jackpot of $20 million. However, no Mega Millions jackpot has ever been won on New Year’s Eve, per the lottery.