Huge holiday gains.
A Mega Millions player in California won an estimated $1.22 billion jackpot on Friday night, ending a three-month lottery drought without a jackpot winner.
The winning numbers were 3, 7, 37, 49, 55, and the huge golden ball numbered 6.
The lucky ticket holder matched all six numbers, beating 1 in 302,575,350 odds to win the jackpot.
The new billionaire can claim the ability $1.22 billion In annual payments or choose an almost one-time cash payment $549.7 million.
This is the fifth time a Mega Millions ticket holder has won the jackpot in 2024. A winning ticket for the $800 million jackpot was sold at Murphy Express in Sugar Land, Texas on September 10.
The Sol Living Trust received the prize and opted for a cash payout of $409.3 million, the Texas Lottery announced in October.
The $1.22 billion win is the fifth-largest in Mega Millions history, surpassing the $1.12 billion drawn on March 26, 2024, at the ShopRite in Neptune, New Jersey.
The winner of the sixth-largest jackpot in Mega Millions history came forward and submitted his $1.128 billion ticket on Monday to begin the collecting process — nine months after the drawing.
The Monmouth County ShopRite sold the big winner who matched lottery numbers 7, 11, 22, 29 and 38 — plus the massive Golden Ball No. 4 and the multiplier No. 2.
New Jersey lottery law allows the winner to remain publicly anonymous.
Friday's winner could be the last one before the lottery game undergoes a “overhaul” next spring.
Mega Millions announced in October that it would eliminate $2 lottery tickets and increase prices to $5 per ticket. The new cost is expected to include higher cash prizes starting in April.
