Winning lottery ticket worth $1.22bn sold, Mega Millions says

One Mega Millions player has bought a winning ticket worth an estimated $1.22bn, the lottery game announced on Friday, 27 December.

It comes after three months without anyone winning the top prize.

White balls 3, 7, 37, 49, 55 and the gold Mega Ball 6 were on the winning ticket, with the fifth-highest estimated jackpot ever for Mega Millions.

The jackpot amount will only be distributed to a winner who chooses an annuity paid over 29 years.

Many grand prize winners opt to receive a cash payout, which was estimated at $549.7m for Friday night’s drawing.

The largest-ever Mega Millions jackpot ticket — $1.6 billion — was sold in Florida in August of last year.