Santa Claus was a little late, but he brought one person a $1.22 billion Mega Millions jackpot as a gift.
A single ticket purchased in California matched all the numbers in Friday’s drawing (3, 7, 37, 49, 55 and a mega 6-ball) to win the estimated $1.22 billion jackpot.
The jackpot-winning ticket was sold at Sunshine Food and Gas in Cottonwood, a community of about 6,000 in Northern California, south of Redding, according to the state lottery website.
The jackpot has been increasing since its clock was reset on Sept. 13 after someone in Texas won an $810 million jackpot, Mega Millions officials said. No tickets matched the six numbers revealed in the previous Christmas Eve drawing.
When no one wins the jackpot, it accumulates and ticket sales contribute to the growth of the jackpot.
If the person who bought the ticket lives in California, they could take home the maximum amount. The state is one of eight in which state governments do not tax lottery winnings.
Friday night’s victory is the fifth-largest in the history of the game. What had been the fifth jackpot, a $1.128 million jackpot, was claimed on Monday, months after the March 26 drawing.
The winning ticket was purchased at ShopRite in Neptune Township, New Jersey, Mega Millions officials said. The New Jersey winners have one year to make such a claim.
“It is common for big prize winners to take their time to file a claim,” Mega Millions officials said in the statement.
The winner, who opted for the protection of New Jersey law to remain anonymous, opted for the cash value of the prize, estimated at $537.5 million before state and federal taxes, Mega Millions officials said.
The federal tax on that amount is likely 37%; New Jersey would impose an 8% tax.
The Mega Millions jackpot has found a winner three times in 2024 so far. It’s a number that officials say would equal the fewest jackpots in a year since the seven-state Big Game became Mega Millions in 2002.
Mega Millions, played in 45 states, Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands, produced 10 jackpots in 2023, the most since the game underwent major changes in 2013, officials said in a statement Monday.
A Florida player claimed the largest Mega Millions jackpot, $1.602 billion, in August 2023. However, no matter how large that amount is, it couldn’t surpass the multistate lottery game Powerball’s most valuable jackpot, $2,040. billion, recorded in November 2022.
Michelle Acevedo and Alex Lo contributed.
