Winning ticket sold for bonanza $1.22 billion US lottery

A person purchases their Mega Millions lottery ticket from a liquor store where winning tickets have been sold on December 27, 2024 in Hawthorne, California. Photo / AFP

A winning ticket has been sold for a United States lottery jackpot of US$1.22 billion ($2.17 billion), its organiser said on Saturday, one of the largest prizes in the history of the gambling game.

The ticket was sold in the state of California, Mega Millions said, after the winning six numbers were announced on Friday night.

The identity of the winner is not yet clear. It is also unclear whether they are aware they hold the jackpot ticket and are coming forward to claim their prize.

They bought the ticket at a gas station in the town of Cottonwood, about 210km north of the city of Sacramento, Mega Millions said.

The winning numbers were: 3, 7, 37, 49, 55 and 6.

The winner can claim the full US$1.22b in annual payments over 30 years or opt for a one-off cash payout of US$549.7 million before tax.

The prize is the fifth largest jackpot in history offered by Mega Millions – which sells tickets across 45 states.

The largest lottery bonanza in history was US$2.04b. The winning ticket for that Powerball prize was also sold in California.

- Agence France-Presse