A lucky California Lottery player became an instant Mega Millions multimillionaire over the summer, and he's now come forward to claim the incredible jackpot.
Douglas Cummings picked up his ticket from the Chevron station located at 12464 Limonite Avenue in Mira Loma, Riverside County. The ticket matched all six winning numbers in the July 31 Mega Millions draw: 12, 35, 46, 48, 69, and the Mega Ball 23.
Cummings wants to keep his plans for the life-changing winnings private, and the California Lottery did not release information on whether he chose the the annuity or cash option payment.
Christian Saracay, who manages the Chevron where the ticket was sold, was excited for his customer. "Our sales have gone up! The regulars were surprised when they heard about the win. They were happy someone won at the store they go to," he told Lottery officials.
This is the first large prize won at his store, although "anything more than a dollar win is big," he laughed. The Lottery will pay the retailer a $110,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.
California had another big Mega Millions win last year, when San Diego player Laarni Bibal scored a $522 million jackpot on June 7, 2019. She bought the winning ticket at the Sorrento Deli Mart and opted for the lump sum payout of $340 million before federal taxes. California does not levy state taxes on lottery prizes.
There could be a lot of pre-Halloween treats in store this week, as the Mega Millions and Powerball combined top prizes hit an estimated $225 million.
Mega Millions offers a $109 million jackpot for the draw on Tuesday, October 27, while on Wednesday, there's the chance at a $116 million Powerball grand prize. You can pick up tickets for both draws now.
The Golden State continues to create more millionaires as the Lottery celebrated its 35th birthday this month. California players have raised more than $37 million for public education in the state, with 95 percent of Lottery proceeds going back to the community via prizes, retailer commissions, and contributions to schools.
Three huge SuperLotto Plus prizes have been claimed in recent weeks.
Anthony Li of San Carlos hit $20 million on September 5 after he played the same significant dates as his SuperLotto picks in every draw for the past two years.
Victor Diaz of National City scored an amazing $28 million win on May 16. He said he had a good feeling when two of his numbers were 3 and 16 because one of his favorite Bible verses is John 3:16.
Ed Willis of Quartz Hill in Los Angeles County won $24 million in the July 18 drawing, just four months after his wife told him she wanted to win a prize to improve their finances.
Meanwhile, the state's Scratchers players have also enjoyed good luck.
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In-Depth Read
Monday October 26, 2020