A California resident won $1.15 billion (around 1.1 billion euros) in Mega Millions, one of the biggest American lotteries, on Friday.
He had a one in 302 million chance of winning the bet.
The jackpot for a Californian player. A Mega Millions ticket sold in northern California allowed its holder to win approximately $1.15 billion this Friday, December 27, reports CNN. According to the American lottery, it is the fifth largest prize in the history of the game, launched in 2002. No one had won the jackpot for more than 100 days, which explains this disproportionate amount at stake.
The growing success of ticket sales
A draw had already been made on December 24 but it did not find a taker, so the gain increased. The largest amount ever won was last year, with a ticket from Florida taking home the $1.602 billion prize.
According to a study by the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism relayed by CNN, ticket sales recently increased from $47 billion to $82 billion, generating more revenue than corporate taxes in ten states. Each ticket is sold for two dollars.
The company, however, announced in October that the price would be more than doubled in April 2025. In return, it promises greater gains. Still according to CNN, each ticket will cost $5.
