(CBS NEWS) – A lucky Mega Millions player in Southern California woke up a lot richer on Saturday. A ticket sold at a San Diego liquor store matched all six numbers in Friday’s $530 million Mega Millions jackpot, CBS Los Angeles reported.
If the winner chooses the cash option, they will walk away with about $345 million before taxes.
The California Lottery said another ticket matched five numbers, but missed the Mega number. That ticket was sold at a Seal Beach gas station and is worth a little more than $1 million.
Mega Millions winning numbers
- 17, 19, 27, 40, 68
- Mega Ball: 2
- Megaplier: 3X
Mega Millions tickets are $2 and are sold in 44 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Odds of winning
The odds of winning a jackpot remain abysmal at 1 in 302.5 million for Mega Millions *(and 1 in 292.2 million for Powerball).
Who buys lotto tickets?
About two-thirds of Americans gamble. Last year, they spent $72.97 billion on traditional lottery tickets, according to Gallup.
On average, that’s $206.69 per person. “Our obsession with lotteries, with gambling, is that unicorn feeling of, like, ‘maybe it’ll be me,'” CBS News business analyst Jill Schlesinger said. She points out that some people don’t necessarily play to win.
“They just want to take a moment out of their day to consider how to dream big,” Schlesinger said.
The average American spends about $223 per year on lottery tickets, according to a survey from LENDedu. Massachusetts residents have the biggest taste for playing the odds, spending almost $763 per year on lottery tickets, the study found.
North Dakotans are on the opposite end of the spectrum, spending about $44 per year on the lottery, or the lowest average figure among residents of all 50 states.
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