A lucky lotto player in Tarzana may be the newest multimillionaire on the block, having landed on a winning Mega Millions ticket worth a staggering $4.6 million. According to a press release from the California State Lottery, the winning ticket was purchased at Spirits World Liquor. This fortuitous purchase makes it the second-highest 2nd-place win for Mega Millions in California over the past decade.
The numbers that changed the course of one individual's financial destiny were 2, 6, 8, 14, 49, with Mega Number 12. Despite missing the Mega Number, the $4.6 million ticket matched the first five numbers drawn. As no tickets bore all six numbers, the jackpot has mushroomed to an estimated $128 million for Tuesday's drawing. "Check your tickets," a lottery spokesperson mentioned, encouraging hopeful participants to visit NBC Los Angeles for information on how to claim their wins.
Over at ABC7, they highlight that due to California law, lottery wins such as these are paid on a pari-mutuel basis, which calculates payouts based on sales and the number of winners. While similar second-place Mega Millions tickets in other states could garner a prize valued between $2 million and $10 million, California's system structured this win at over $4.6 million. It's been a stretch of 12 drawings since a ticketholder snagged all six numbers, which explains the hefty current jackpot estimate of $182 million for the next Mega Millions round.
As recorded by KTLA, the California Lottery officials declared that the sale of the "historic" ticket took place at Spirits World Liquor on Burbank Boulevard. Any ticket holders with high hopes should promptly file a claim to secure their winnings. Details on the procedure and forms are available on the Lottery's website. This win serves as a stark reminder that the odds of landing on all five numbers plus the Mega number stand at a slim chance—1 in 290,472,336—yet the overall chance of scoring a prize rests at 1 in 23. Despite the improbability, the $5 Mega Millions ticket continues to contribute to California's public schools, supporting education through lottery-funded supplemental cash flow.
