A single winning ticket for the massive $1.22 billion Mega Millions jackpot was sold at a Circle K store in Cottonwood, California, marking the fifth-largest prize in the game's history. The lucky ticket matched all six numbers drawn on Friday night: 3, 7, 37, 49, 55, and Mega Ball 6.
The winner, whose identity remains unknown, can choose between receiving the full jackpot amount in annual payments over 30 years or a one-time cash payment of $549.7 million before taxes.
This jackpot win ends a remarkable stretch of 30 drawings without a grand prize winner, with the last victory occurring in Texas on September 10 for $810 million. 2024 has seen unusually few Mega Millions jackpot winners - only four in total, the lowest number since the game's inception in 2002.
"What an amazing present this holiday season!" said Joshua Johnston, lead director for the Mega Millions Consortium. He noted that the win benefits both the ticket holder and various organizations supported by lottery sales, including educational programs and parks across the country.
The recent drawing also produced five additional winners who matched five numbers, each claiming $1 million prizes. Throughout the 31-drawing run leading to Friday's win, more than 31.4 million winning tickets were sold across all prize tiers.
The Cottonwood win joins an elite list of Mega Millions jackpots, following the game's largest-ever prize of $1.602 billion won in Florida in August 2023. Mega Millions, which costs $2 per play, is available in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot stand at 1 in 302,575,350.