A single Mega Millions lottery ticket sold in California won a jackpot estimated at $1.22 billion on Friday. According to lottery authorities, this is the fifth largest prize in the history of the game, CNN reported.
The coupon, the first in over 100 days to give a jackpot, contained all six winning numbers: 3, 7, 37, 49, 55 and the so-called Mega Ball – 6.
The prize pool has increased since the last drawing on Christmas Eve, when no winner took home the estimated nearly $1 billion jackpot. Friday's main prize was previously estimated at $1.15 billion, but it increased before the long-awaited drawing, the American portal pointed out.
Mega Millions lottery ticketsShutterstock
Fourth Mega Millions win this year
This is only the fourth Mega Millions jackpot in 2024 and the seventh time in the game's history that the jackpot has exceeded $1 billion.
The six others were awarded in South Carolina in 2018, Michigan in 2021, Illinois in 2022, Maine and Florida in 2023, and New Jersey in March 2024. The Florida prize is a record game jackpot of 1,602 billion dollars – wrote CNN.
Five other tickets sold in Arizona, California, Texas and Missouri won $1 million each in Friday's drawing by matching the first five numbers, lottery organizers said.
One Mega Millions bet costs $2, but next year the ticket amount will increase to $5. This is the second time the organizer has decided to increase the price. Mega Millions tickets are sold in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the District Colombia and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with drawings taking place at 11 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays in Atlanta, Georgia.
Main photo source: Ringo Chiu / Shutterstock