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$394 Million Mega Millions Jackpot Won in California
Monday December 11th 2023The Mega Millions jackpot rolled over 17 times before it was won on Friday evening. Not one, but two lucky tickets had all six winning numbers and both were purchased in California.
An unforgettable Christmas ahead for one or two Mega Millions players as they’ll end the year (or start it, depending on when they claim the prize) as multi-millionaires. The tickets were sold at the Chevron station located at 18081 Ventura Boulevard in Encino, California.
The winning numbers for the December 12, 2023 draw were 21, 26, 53, 66 and 70, plus the not-so-unlucky Mega Ball 13. Besides the two tickets winning the jackpot, there were 715,952 winners across all other prize categories. No one won in the second-tier category, however 12 tickets managed to match four numbers plus the Mega Ball.
As the two winning tickets were sold at the exact same gas station, there might only be one winner who purchased two entries with the same numbers. Lottery officials will be able to confirm whether the tickets were bought by separate parties. We will find out whether two players chose the same numbers or one single player purchased two tickets once they come forward to claim the prize as California law requires the full name of the jackpot winner(s) to be released.
If two participants matched the magic numbers, they would have to split the $394 million grand prize and choose between the annuity and cash options. The annuity option will mean they will each receive $197 million spread across 30 years. If they go for the cash option, they will get a lump sum payment of $94.3 million before federal taxes. They will have to come forward and claim their win within one year from the winning draw date.
As the jackpot rolled over and jumped to a higher amount with every draw, many players managed to win prizes in other categories during this period. In total, approximately 10.5 million winning tickets have been sold since the jackpot was last won on October 6 2023. 15 of these won second-tier prizes worth $1 million or more which went to 10 different jurisdictions: Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas. Overall, 2023 seems to have been a lucky year as many jackpots were won. The last time as many as 10 jackpots were won in a single year was 10 years ago.
Now that it’s been won, the Mega Millions jackpot has been reset to its base amount of $20 million and draws will continue on Tuesday and Friday evenings across all 45 participating states. However, the Powerball jackpot hasn’t been won yet and it’s now worth $477 million, with a cash lump sum of $229.7 million on offer. The grand prize has been rolling over 25 times so far and it was last won on October 11, 2023 by a single ticket holder from California. Powerball drawings take place three times per week on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday evenings across 48 US states and jurisdictions. Whether you have a favorite game or want to enter both, choose your numbers then make sure you check the results once the draws have taken place.
Written by Bianca-Andreea Pârvu
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