Just days after a massive, billion-dollar lottery was claimed by a New Jersey player, there’s another Mega Millions billionaire … in California.
The $1.22 billion jackpot-winning ticket for Fridays drawing was sold in Northern California, about two hours above Sacramento. The winner hasn’t yet come forward.
The big win comes just a week after someone finally claimed the $1.13 billion jackpot from a March drawing. That winning ticket, the last billion-dollar prize, was sold in New Jersey.
So, where does the Garden State rank on all-time lottery wins and why does it seem like California is always the winner.
California has an undeniable knack for lottery wins, boasting 37 Mega Millions jackpots — the second-highest in the nation, behind only New York’s 44 wins, according to Mega Millions data.
The state’s massive population of nearly 40 million people and high ticket sales give it an advantage, especially when jackpots near 10 digits and more casual players buy tickets.
New Jersey has its own impressive record of wins, though.
The Garden State has 26 Mega Millions jackpots, ranking third in the country. And New Jersey’s players have claimed some of the game’s biggest prizes, including March’s $1.13 billion win and a $533 million jackpot in 2018.
It’s not just Mega Millions; New Jersey has also claimed 12 Powerball jackpots, tying it with Kansas and New York.
Of course, those numbers pale in comparison to the the top-three in jackpot wins for Powerball. Indiana leads with 39 wins, followed by Missouri with 31 wins, and Minnesota with 22 wins.
New Jersey last won Powerball in June, when an anonymous player collected $222 million.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: California wins Mega Millions … again; where New Jersey ranks