A California resident is wrapping up the year with an extraordinary stroke of luck, having secured an incredible $1.3 billion Mega Millions win. This remarkable win, the fifth-largest in the game’s history, followed Friday night’s drawing. The fortunate ticket, purchased in Cottonwood, California—situated about 200 miles north of San Francisco—matched the numbers 3, 7, 37, 49, 55, and the gold Mega Ball 6. The grand prize accumulated to its impressive $1.3 billion total after 30 consecutive draws without a jackpot winner. While securing the top prize is an immense challenge, with odds standing at a staggering 1 in 302,575,350, hopeful participants across the country eagerly took their chances.
Mega Millions Payout Options
The lucky winner now faces an important financial decision: receiving the full $1.3 billion through an annuity paid over 30 years or opting for a lump-sum payout of approximately $549.7 million before taxes. Their life has undoubtedly changed forever. The U.S. lottery has once again made headlines with this massive win. However, the record for the largest-ever jackpot still belongs to a $2.04 billion Powerball prize, won in California in November 2022. As the news of this win spreads, excitement continues to build in Cottonwood and beyond.
Mega Millions Win
Alright, so picture this: some lucky winner in California just hit the jackpot—like, really hit it. We’re talking $1.3 billion from Mega Millions! Can you believe it? That’s the fifth-biggest win ever in that game. This person bought their ticket in Cottonwood, a small town way up north. They matched all those numbers: 3, 7, 37, 49, 55, and that golden Mega Ball 6. After, like, a million drawings with no winner, the pot just kept growing and growing.
Now, this person’s got a crazy choice to make. Do they want the whole $1.3 billion spread out over 30 years, or do they want a cool $549.7 million right now? Talk about life-changing! Of course, the taxman’s gonna take a bite, but still. Yes, that’s a huge win, but remember that crazy $2.04 billion Powerball from back in 2022? That was also in California. Guess they’re just lucky out there.
And hey, even if you don’t hit the jackpot, people are winning smaller prizes. Someone matched five numbers and got a million bucks Mega Millions win! Not too shabby, right? Everyone’s wondering who this mystery winner is in Cottonwood.
So, how do you play? You pick five numbers from 1 to 70 and one Mega Ball from 1 to 25. Or, if you’re feeling lazy, just do a Quick Pick and let the machine pick for you. Drawings are Tuesdays and Fridays, so don’t miss out.
Check Your Mega Millions Tickets
And if you’re always wondering if you won, you can check your numbers online, and if you sign up for alerts, we’ll tell you if you won anything at all. We’ll even walk you through how to claim your prize, depending on where you live. Basically, you never know, right? Maybe you’ll be the next one. Good luck!