Mega Millions winning ticket for $1.22 billion lottery jackpot sold in California
NEW YORK (WABC) -- A Mega Milllions ticket-holder in California has a lot to celebrate after a single ticket sold in the state matched all six numbers drawn on Dec. 27.
Friday's winning numbers - the white balls, 55, 7, 3, 37, 49 plus the gold Mega Ball 6.'
The jackpot is worth an estimated $1.22 billion ($549.7 million cash).
It's the fifth-largest Mega Millions jackpot in history, and the seventh Mega Millions jackpot greater than $1 billion.
The winning ticket was sold in Cottonwood, California, in the northern part of the state.
Watch Mega Millions drawings every Tuesday and Friday at 10:59 p.m. ET right here
The Dec. 27 drawing alone produced 5,691,299 winning tickets across all prize tiers, in addition to the jackpot-winning ticket. Five tickets matched the five white balls to win the game's second-tier prize; two were sold in California, and one each in Arizona, Missouri and Texas.
The Mega Millions jackpot was last won when it reached $810 million in Texas on Sept. 10.
It's only the fourth Mega Millions jackpot won in 2024, and with only one more drawing this year, odds are that the year will end with the fewest jackpots won in any year since the game began in 2002. In addition to the Texas win, a $552 million windfall went to an Illinois online player on June 4 (the largest lottery prize ever won with an online ticket purchase), and a huge $1.128 billion prize was won in New Jersey on March 26.
Mega Millions ticket prices are set to rise from $2 to $5 in April. The increase will be one of many changes that officials say will result in improved jackpot odds, more frequent giant prizes and even larger payouts.
The current odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350, according to Mega Millions.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Top Mega Millions Jackpots
1. $1.602 billion, Aug. 8, 2023 (one ticket in Florida)
2. $1.537 billion, Oct. 23, 2018 (one ticket in South Carolina)
3. $1.348 billion, Jan. 13, 2023 (one ticket in Maine)
4. $1.337 billion, July 29, 2022 (one ticket in Illinois)
5. $1.22 billion, Dec. 27, 2024 (one ticket in California)
6. $1.128 billion, March 26, 2024 (one ticket in New Jersey)
7. $1.050 billion, Jan. 22, 2021 (one ticket in Michigan)
8. $810 million, Sept. 10, 2024 (one ticket in Texas)
9. $656 million, March 30, 2012 (three tickets in Illinois, Kansas, Maryland)
10. $648 million, Dec. 17, 2013 (two tickets sold in California, Georgia)
Here is a look at the 10 largest U.S. jackpots that have been won and the states where the winning tickets were sold:
1. $2.040 billion, Powerball, Nov. 7, 2022 (one ticket: California)
2. $1.765 billion, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023 (one ticket: California)
3. $1.602 billion, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023 (one ticket: Florida)
4. $1.586 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016 (three tickets: California, Florida and Tennessee)
5. $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018 (one ticket: South Carolina)
6. $1.348 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023 (one ticket: Maine)
7. $1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022 (one ticket: Illinois)
8. $1.22 billion, December 27, 2024 (one ticket in California)
9. $1.128 billion, March 26, 2024 (one ticket in New Jersey)
10. $1.08 billion, Powerball, July, 19, 2023 (one ticket: California)
WATCH: New York state lottery drawings live daily at 2:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. and Wednesdays and Saturdays at 8:15 p.m.
Powerball drawings are also streamed here on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 10:59 p.m.
Mega Millions drawings are streamed on Tuesday and Friday at 11:00 p.m.
Sources: AP archives, www.megamillions.com and www.powerball.com
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