SACRAMENTO – Jerod Jones from Dana Point is one of the winners who matched five of six numbers from Tuesday night’s MEGA Millions draw and will take home a whopping $175,000!
Jones realized he was the winner last night, when during the Lakers games halftime he went to check his Quick Pick ticket on the California Lottery website. “I quickly realized I didn’t match the MEGA number, but when I saw that I matched the rest, I freaked,” said Jones. He immediately called his loved ones to share the good news then continued to watch the Lakers win!
When asked what he plans to do with his prize money, Jones responded, “I will pay some bills, restore a car I bought brand new 20 years ago, and maybe buy a new car.”
Jones bought his ticket in Fountain Valley at a 7-Eleven at 10044 Ellis Avenue. The owner of the other ticket that also matched five of six numbers has yet to come forward. That ticket was sold in Corona at a 7-Eleven at 702 West 6th Street.
No one matched all six numbers on Tuesday’s MEGA Million drawing for the jackpot, which means that the MEGA Millions jackpot for Friday, February 1, will be an estimated $87 million! MEGA Millions tickets are sold in more than 19,000 retailer locations statewide. Players may purchase MEGA Millions tickets until 7:45 p.m. on the night of the draw.
More than 95 cents of every Lottery dollar is returned to the community in the form of contributions to education, prizes and retail commissions. The California Lottery contributes at least 34 cents of every dollar that players spend on Lottery products to public education and returns more than 50 percent of sales to players in the form of prizes. Since its inception in 1985, the Lottery has contributed more than $20 billion to California schools out of total sales of nearly $55 billion. Retailers benefit too, earning $3.5 billion in compensation since 1985.