A single ticket sold in Cottonwood, California matched all numbers in Friday night's Mega Millions drawing to win a $1.269 billion jackpot—the ninth-largest lottery prize in U.S. history and fifth-biggest Mega Millions win ever.

The winning ticket was purchased at Circle K Sunshine Food and Gas convenience store on Rhonda Road in Cottonwood, about 125 miles north of Sacramento. The winning numbers were 3, 7, 37, 49, 55, and Mega Ball 6.

The winner has two payment options:

• $1.269 billion paid in 30 annual installments
• One-time cash payment of $571.9 million

After federal taxes (37%), the cash option would yield approximately $360.3 million. California does not tax lottery winnings as income.

The winner has one year to claim their prize and cannot remain anonymous under California law.

"At an incredibly special time of year, this is both an incredibly special moment for our winner and all the great organizations and causes that benefit from lottery ticket sales around the country," said Joshua Johnston, lead director for the Mega Millions Consortium.

The Mega Millions game operates across 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. California leads the nation alongside New York and New Jersey in producing winning jackpot tickets since 2017, partly due to its large population and robust lottery program.

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