Two Tickets Win Mega Millions Jackpot As Powerball Hits $500 Million
The wait for a big Powerball or Mega Millions winner came to an end on Friday night as two tickets for the latter game - sold at the very same retail location - matched all the numbers. The Mega Millions jackpot was worth $394 million, but Powerball keeps rolling on and has now hit $500 million.
Mega Millions Mystery
It has been a year of big winners in Mega Millions - the jackpot has now been won 10 times in 2023 - so it was no surprise to see another top prize paid out as a pair of tickets matched the numbers 21, 26, 53, 66 and 70, plus Mega Ball 13.
However, the rare twist with this result was that both tickets were purchased in California. In fact, not only were they bought in the same state, but also in the same place - Chevron, 18081 Ventura Blvd, Encino.
Commenting on how it could happen that two jackpot-winning tickets were sold in the same store, California Lottery spokesperson Carolyn Becker said: “While this is incredibly unusual and interesting, it’s not unheard of. There are any number of explanations; perhaps one person wanted to try their luck on two different rows for whatever reason, or maybe a couple of buddies wanted to try their chances with the same exact numbers. We won’t know exactly how this happened until the prize is claimed.”
Speaking about whether the ticket was purchased by one player or two, Becker said it was important for the California Lottery not to reveal too much at this stage so as to protect the integrity of the security review process once there’s a prize claim.
“That’s one of the questions our law enforcement team will ask anyone who comes forward,” Becker said. “Only legitimate winners know the answers to some of our most important questions during the standard vetting process; it’s one of the ways we determine that the person who claims the prize is, in fact, the rightful winner.”
The winner (or winners) has one year to come forward and claim their prize, and when that happens the mystery will be solved, as the California Lottery does not allow winners to stay anonymous.
Powerball Rolls On
While Mega Millions has been won 10 times this year, there have only been five Powerball winners even though there is an extra draw per week.
The latest jackpot has been climbing since a Californian player won $1.76 billion on October 11. It has now reached $500 million, putting it halfway towards another billion-dollar prize.
The winning numbers for the latest draw on Monday December 11 were 1, 24, 27, 31 and 62, with Powerball 20. You can use the Number Checker to find out if you are a winner.
Published: Tuesday, December 12, 2023