A single lottery 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, a small town located about 125 miles north of Sacramento in Shasta County. The ticket matched all five numbers (3, 7, 37, 49, 55) and the 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 the 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 jackpot exceeded initial estimates of $1.15 billion due to stronger-than-expected ticket sales. California leads the nation alongside New York and New Jersey for most Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots won since 2017, largely due to its population size and robust lottery program.

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