A California resident has claimed the state’s largest-ever lottery prize, winning a $1.2 billion Mega Millions jackpot.
State lottery officials identified Rosemary Casarotti as the winner of the historic prize. Though she declined to attend the public announcement, officials confirmed that her ticket matched all six winning numbers in the February drawing.
Casarotti purchased the ticket at Sunshine Food and Gas Circle K in Cottonwood. She selected the lump sum payout option, which will award her over $570 million before taxes.
In California, winners can choose between receiving their prize as a one-time lump sum or as an annuity paid over 30 years. The annuity option increases by 5% annually. The lump sum equals the total cash value of the prize pool.
The winning numbers were 3, 7, 37, 49, 55, and Mega number 6. The ticket also included a 3x “MegaPlier,” which multiplies non-jackpot prizes.
Mega Millions tickets cost $2 each. Players select five white ball numbers between 1 and 70, and one Mega number from 1 to 25. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350.
As a result of this win, the California Lottery will contribute $89.5 million to public education, a standard portion of its proceeds.
California is unique in that all prize payouts are pari-mutuel, meaning they depend on ticket sales and the number of winners. In most other states, secondary prize amounts are fixed.
Casarotti’s win marks only the fourth Mega Millions jackpot awarded in 2024, making it one of the quietest jackpot years since the game began.
Prior to her win, the most recent jackpot was an $810 million prize claimed in Texas on September 10. Since its inception, Mega Millions has paid out more than $6 billion in jackpots across several states, including South Carolina, Michigan, Illinois, Maine, Florida, and New Jersey.
The largest single-state Mega Millions win remains a $1.6 billion jackpot claimed in Florida in 2023.
