California lottery ticket. (Photo by Alexander Nguyen/Times of San Diego)
Sorry, Southern Californians — the winning ticket wasn’t sold here this time. A life-changing ticket sold in Georgia matched all six numbers in Friday night’s multi-state Mega Millions drawing, hitting an estimated $980 million jackpot — the 14th-largest in U.S. history.
Friday’s numbers were 1, 8, 11, 12, 57, and the Mega number was 7. The drawing was the 40th since a ticket last matched all six numbers.
According to the Mega Millions Consortium, the winner can receive the full $980 million in 30 graduated annual payments or choose a lump-sum payout of $452.2 million. Both options are subject to federal taxes.
A ticket sold in Michigan matched five numbers but missed the Mega Ball and is worth $3 million.
The odds of matching all five numbers plus the Mega Ball are 1 in 290,472,336. The overall chance of winning any prize is 1 in 23.
This jackpot ranks as the eighth-largest since the game began in 1996 as The Big Game, later becoming Mega Millions in 2002. The Multi-State Lottery Association notes that six Powerball jackpots have been larger.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Tuesday’s jackpot will be $50 million.
—City News Service contributed to this report
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