It looks like someone has just joined the Half Billionaires Club after buying a Mega Millions ticket in California with Tuesday’s winning jackpot numbers.
The ticket was sold at Ernie’s Liquors in San Jose, California, lottery officials confirmed on Wednesday.
Store owner Kewal Sachdev, 65, was taking a nap when an employee called with news that the store had sold the winning ticket, he told The Mercury News . He has owned the store for nearly two decades.
The winner or winners, who have not yet claimed the prize, can take about $320 million in a lump-sum cash option or $543 million over 29 years.
Eight other tickets also matched all five white balls. Six are worth $1 million each, sold in Arizona, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota and two in New Jersey, lottery officials report. Two tickets, sold in Massachusetts and Texas, are worth $3 million each because of the optional Megaplier.
The winning numbers were:
1-2-4-19-29 with a Mega Ball of 20 (multiplier 3x)
The $522 million prize is the 11th largest in U.S. history for Mega Millions and the game of its older sister, Powerball. The Mega Millions pot is the fifth largest in that game’s history.
To collect the full amount, you would have to wait 30 years. You can get a nice chunk of change when you cash in your ticket, but with the annuity option, each of the other 29 annual payments is 5% larger than the previous year. (If the winner dies, the estate or beneficiary gets the same payment plan.)
It's been a banner year so far, with two major Mega Millions jackpots already being won.
This year, 20-year-old Shane Missler of Port Richey won a $451 million prize on Jan. 5, and Richard Wahl of Vernon, N.J., won $533 million on March 30. In all, three Mega Millions jackpots have been awarded in 2018.
The highest jackpot ever in the game: On March 30, 2012, Mega Millions produced a $656 million jackpot, split three ways.
USA TODAY, The Associated Press and The (Bergen County, N.J.) Record contributed to this report.