Rosemary Casarotti, the Mega Millions player who won a $1.2 billion jackpot, has spoken publicly for the first time since her win nearly three months ago.
Casarotti, in her 60s and from Shasta County, California, bought the winning ticket at a Circle K store in Cottonwood, about 150 miles from Sacramento, before the December 27 drawing.
State law required her identity to be revealed, but Casarotti told officials she wants to remain as private as possible, according to USA Today.
She chose to take the lump sum payment, reducing her $1.26 billion jackpot to $571 million before taxes.
Casarotti will pay 24% federal tax on her winnings, but California does not tax lottery prizes at the state level. This differs from states like New York, where winners pay up to 10.9% state tax.
The lump sum option contrasts with the annuity choice, where winners receive 30 payments over 29 years, with each payment growing by 5% annually.
Casarotti’s prize is the largest Mega Millions jackpot ever won in California.
Following her win, the first Mega Millions jackpot of 2025 was claimed in Arizona. That winner took home $112 million, with a cash value of about $50 million.
Meanwhile, the first Powerball jackpot of the year went to Abbas Shafii, 79, from Oregon. He also chose the lump sum and collected $146.4 million from a $328.5 million prize.
