One lucky individual no longer has to fantasize about spending such a fortune, having claimed the fifth-largest jackpot in Mega Millions history against daunting odds of 302,575,350 to one. It’s enough to make anyone feel extraordinarily fortunate.
According to The Post, the winning numbers were 3, 7, 37, 49, 55, with the gold Mega ball being 6.
Despite those daunting odds, someone matched every number and is now the proud owner of this massive prize.
The question remains: who is the lucky winner?
Reports indicate that the winning ticket was bought at Sunshine Food and Gas station in Cottonwood, Shasta County, California.
The new billionaire can choose to receive the prize in a lump sum or distributed in annual payments.
If opting for the lump sum, the winner would reportedly take home $549.7 million.
Joshua Johnston, the lead director of the Mega Millions Consortium, was quoted by the Post: “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.”
This victory marks the fourth Mega Millions jackpot win in 2024, following a three-month period without any grand prize winners.
Despite the enormous $1.22 billion prize, it’s not the largest in Mega Millions history.
The biggest Mega Millions jackpot ever was won in August 2023, reaching a staggering $1.602 billion.
In October 2018, a $1.537 billion jackpot was won, and in January 2023, a jackpot of $1.348 billion was claimed.
If you think that’s astounding, consider the largest US lottery jackpot ever: a $2 billion Powerball prize won in November 2022, with the winner also hailing from California.