SACRAMENTO - George Washington was our country’s first President. What better way to celebrate his birthday than by becoming California’s first MEGA Millions® jackpot winner of 2006? California State Lottery officials announced today that the MEGA Millions jackpot has soared to the sum of $170 million after no one matched Friday’s winning numbers, making Tuesday’s total the second largest Mega Millions jackpot in the history of the California State Lottery.
"We’re very excited and anxious at the possibility of hosting our second $100 plus MEGA Millions winner," said Lezlie Puglia, Director of Communications for the California State Lottery. "We have been very successful since MEGA Millions began, and we want to keep the winning going."
Three MEGA Millions jackpots have been won in California since the game began last June, including the historic $315 million jackpot won on November 15, 2005. With all prizes combined, California has sold more than 6.7 million winning MEGA Millions tickets resulting in total winnings of $467 million. California schools receive at least 34% of all lottery sales and have benefited by more than $1 billion annually from the California State Lottery for the past five consecutive years.