RELEASE DATE: 4/29/2017
SACRAMENTO – It has happened again! For the second time this year, someone who bought a Mega Millions ticket in California has won it all. Whoever picked up their ticket at an Orange County 7-Eleven (27001 Moulton Parkway in Laguna Hills) matched all six winning numbers from tonight’s draw and hit the estimated $61 million jackpot.
The winner now has the option of taking the estimated $61 million prize money (less federal taxes) spread out in annual payments over 30 years, or they can choose the lump sum cash option amount of an estimated $37.3 million.
We will not know who the winner is until they contact the California Lottery to claim their prize. The soonest that can happen is Monday morning (May 1) at 8 a.m.
Here’s what we do know: The winning numbers are 6-13-18-20-31 and Mega number 13. As we mentioned, the winning ticket was sold at the 7-Eleven store located on Moulton Parkway in Laguna Hills. This California Lottery retailer wins too! The business will be receiving a whopping $305,000 retailer bonus just for selling the winning ticket. [This bonus is paid from a separate fund and is NOT deducted from the winner’s prize.]
Almost three months ago to the date (January 27), Jack Freney won the $191 million Mega Millions jackpot after purchasing the winning ticket at Primm Valley Lotto (I-15 & Stateline) in Nipton, California.
The last time someone hit the Mega Millions jackpot was not even a month ago! On March 31, a lottery player purchased the winning $191 jackpot ticket in Stuttgart, Arkansas.
The California Lottery strongly urges last night’s winner to sign the back of his or her ticket in ink, keep it in a safe place and visit any of the nine Lottery District Offices (or contact Lottery officials) as soon as possible during normal business hours. The one closest to where the ticket was sold is the Lottery’s Orange County District Office, which is located at 3400 W. Warner Avenue in Santa Ana. They can be reached at (714) 708-0540. The winner has one year from the date of the draw to claim their Mega Millions jackpot.
Again, we will not know who the winner is until they come forward.
Mega Millions is played in 44 states (plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands). Draw times are Tuesdays and Fridays at 8:00 p.m. PST. Tickets are $1 and can be purchased from any of the 22,000 California Lottery retailers or one of the more than 4,000 Lottery Lucky Retailers. Please visit the California Lottery’s Mega Millions site for more information on how to play.
This is all part of the Lottery’s continued effort to give out more prizes, create more winners and earn more money for California public education.
The California Lottery is a $6 billion enterprise based in Sacramento. It is one of the few state agencies that is a revenue generator, not accepting taxpayer dollars from the State’s General Fund. Its mission is to provide supplemental funding to California schools while simultaneously supporting local communities. In FY 2015-16, the Lottery created 98 new millionaires. Ninety-five cents of every dollar spent by our players goes back to local communities in the form of contributions to public schools and colleges, prizes and retail compensation. The California Lottery urges its customers to play responsibly and within their budgets. If you feel you have a gambling problem, or know someone who does, you can get help at 1-800-GAMBLER.
Media contact: Russ Lopez, California Lottery, (916) 822-8131