At least one Mega Millions player has plenty of dough to ring in the New Year after drawing the winning number. After three months without anyone winning the top prize in the lottery, a ticket worth an estimated $1.

A pundit in the Northern California town of Cottonwood in the U.S. suddenly became a billionaire overnight, after their Mega Millions lottery ticket hit the jackpot on Dec. 28, 2024. That lucky winner can now claim a prize of a staggering US$1.22 billion (S$1.66 billion), the New York Times reported.

A Mega Millions ticket holder in California woke up much richer on Saturday after they matched all six numbers in the lottery hours before to win an estimated $1.3 billion, the fifth largest jackpot in the game's history.