Winning $1.22 Billion Mega Millions Ticket Is Sold in California

The identity of the jackpot winner was not immediately known, but lottery officials in California are expected to reveal it.

Someone who bought a lottery ticket at a gas station in Northern California has won an estimated $1.22 billion in the Mega Millions drawing on Friday night, beating nearly impossible odds to take home one of the largest jackpots ever in the United States.

The winning ticket was sold at Sunshine Food and Gas in Cottonwood, Calif., according to the California State Lottery. The winning numbers were 3, 7, 37, 49 and 55, and the gold Mega Ball was 6.

The ticket buyer’s identity was not immediately known; jackpot winners have up to a year to claim their prize. But lottery officials in California, where the names of winners are public record, are expected to announce who has won.

The winner will have the choice of taking a lump-sum payment of about $549.7 million in cash, or the entire jackpot amount in 30 annual payments.

The jackpot was the fifth-largest Mega Millions prize, the lottery organization said in a statement. It is the ninth-largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history.

The last time a Mega Millions player hit the jackpot was in September, when the prize was $810 million. The ticket that won the largest-ever Mega Millions jackpot, worth $1.58 billion, was sold in Florida in August 2023. There have been three larger jackpots, all won from Powerball drawings.

Huge jackpots have become increasingly common in Mega Millions and Powerball’s lottery drawings because of changes to the games over the years and higher ticket prices. More than 10 jackpots in the country have surpassed $1 billion since 2016, including three this year.

The Mega Millions jackpot was won just four times in 2024, including on Friday, the fewest in a single year in the game’s 22-year history.

A Guide for Lottery Winners, Losers and Dreamers

We can’t guarantee you will hit the jackpot, but these tips will help you be ready if the odds land in your favor.

• How can you make sure winning the lottery doesn’t ruin your life? You will need a good lawyer.
• You may also want to remain anonymous for as long as possible. But be aware that might not be easy.
• Should you get your prize as a one-time payment or in installments? Here is some guidance.
• Extravagant spending and bad investments are among the perils faced by lottery winners. Hiring a financial professional can help.
• Some people may worry about the so-called lottery curse, but science is on the winners’ side: More money really does lead to a more satisfying life.