(Gray News) – A California woman won a $1.2 billion Mega Millions jackpot after she was the only person in the entire country to match all six numbers drawn.
The California Lottery announced Monday that Rosemary Casarotti was the sole winner of a $1.2 billion Mega Millions jackpot. She bought the winning ticket for the Dec. 27 drawing from the Sunshine Food and Gas Circle K in Cottonwood.
“We offer Rosemary our heartfelt congratulations for her historic win,” said California Lottery Director Harjinder Shergill Chima in a press release.
The largest Mega Millions jackpot won on a single ticket was a $1.6 billion prize in August 2023. Casarotti’s prize ranks fifth on the list.
Casarotti decided to receive her prize as a lump sum of about $571 million, rather than annual payments. She told lottery officials she wishes to remain as private as possible.
“I had the pleasure of speaking with Rosemary by phone following her win, and I can tell you with certainty how grateful she is and how happy she is to have won this money,” said California Lottery spokesperson Carolyn Becker in the press release.
The Circle K location received $1 million for selling the jackpot-winning ticket.
Only four jackpots, including Casarotti’s, were won in 2024, the fewest in a single year in Mega Millions’ history, according to the lottery.
The jackpot currently sits at $324 million for Friday’s drawing. The odds of winning any given jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350.
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