KTLA

125 Californians became millionaires playing the lottery in 2022, state says

Iman Palm and Nexstar Media Wire

A customer fills out a Powerball lottery ticket at a convenience store in Northbrook, Ill., Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022. No one won an estimated $700 million Powerball jackpot Wednesday night, meaning the big prize will grow to an estimated $800 million for the next drawing. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

Some lucky Californians will enter the new year with a lot more money in the bank.

The California Lottery Office on Thursday announced that 125 millionaires and one billionaire were minted through the end of November due to people playing the lottery’s draw and scratcher games.

As many Californians buy Mega Millions tickets in anticipation of Friday’s $640 million jackpot, here is a recap of some Golden State residents who struck it rich in 2022.

Some California lottery winners

The largest jackpot of the year was the $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot won by an unknown resident in Altadena.

The ticket was sold at Joe’s Service Center at 15 W. Woodbury Road. The store owner, Joe Chahayed, received $1 million for selling the winning ticket.

Ticket sales from draw games, like Powerball, Mega Millions, SuperLotto Plus, and Fantasy 5, and unclaimed lottery winnings are given to California public schools.

The California Lottery raised $156.3 million for schools statewide thanks to the record-breaking Powerball jackpot, the lottery said.

Carolyn Becker, a spokesperson for the California State Lottery, told KTLA that the office had contributed approximately $1 billion in unclaimed prize money to public schools since the lottery’s creation 37 years ago.