Mega Millions warns to check the numbers, as the US$197.5 million prize has not yet been claimed – and the ticket was sold at a gas station

ONE of the winners of a multi-million pound lottery has come forward to claim his prize, but the other half is still unclaimed.

The 10th Mega Millions jackpot of 2023, worth $394 million, was won by two people who matched the winning numbers.

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Furthermore, both tickets were purchased at the same location in Encino, a neighborhood in Los Angeles.

Now, one of the winners has come forward to claim his half of the prize, the California Lottery confirmed.

F. Lahijani was named the jackpot winner on Tuesday, but declined to comment publicly on his win.

“Today, the California Lottery reveals that F. Lahijani is the winner of half of that cash prize after producing one of two winning tickets, both sold at the same Chevron gas station,” the lottery organization confirmed.

However, the winner of the second half of the jackpot has not yet been announced.

The unknown billionaire has one year from the drawing date on December 8th to claim the remaining $197,500,000.

Mega Millions players are encouraged to check their pockets for old tickets for the winning numbers.

Players must look for the white balls 21, 26, 53, 66 and 70 with the golden Mega Ball 13.

Meanwhile, lottery officials talked about the country’s first double jackpot win.

“This was only possible because the same store sold two jackpot-winning tickets in two separate transactions,” said Carolyn Becker, spokeswoman for the California Lottery.

“This has never happened before and we want to congratulate the owners of this particular retail location!”

Retailers who sell winning California Lottery tickets over $1 million receive a payment from the organizations as a reward.

As a result of the two winning tickets, the lucky gas station won a “record-breaking bonus check,” according to the California Lottery.

The minimart received a check for $987,500 for every ticket sold, meaning it raked in its own million-dollar windfall of more than $1.9 million.

Chevron declined to comment on the bonus check and the historic sale.

Top US Lottery Winners

Millions dream of winning the lottery and finding fame and fortune. These are the biggest winners in US lottery history.

• Edwin Castro – $2.04 billion, Powerball, November 8, 2022, in California.
• Theodorus Struyck – $1.765 billion, Powerball, October 11, 2023, California.
• Unknown Winner – $1.602 Billion, Mega Millions, August 8, 2023, Florida.
• Marvin and Mae Acosta of Los Angeles, California, John and Lisa Robinson of Munford, Tennessee, and Maureen Smith and David Kaltschmidt of Melbourne Beach, Florida – $1.586 billion, Powerball, January 13, 2016.
• Unknown Winner – $1.537 Billion, Mega Millions, October 23, 2018, from South Carolina.
• Winner unknown – he sued his child’s mother to keep his identity hidden – $1.348 billion, Mega Millions, January 13, 2023, from Maine.
• Unknown Winner – $1.337 Billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022, from Illinois.
• Cheng and Duanpen Saephan and Laiza Liem Chao – $1.326 billion, Powerball, April 7, 2024, from Oregon.
• Yanira Álvarez – $1.08 billion Powerball, July 19, 2023 in California.
• Wolverine FLL Lottery Club – $1.05 Billion, Mega Millions, January 22, 2021, from Michigan.
• Winner unknown – $842.4 million Powerball, January 1, 2024, from Michigan.

While the odds of winning Mega Millions are one in 24, the odds of winning the jackpot are one in 302,575,350.

The US Sun reached out to the California Lottery for comment on the odds of the same jackpot being won at the same location.

Meanwhile, California authorities have issued a warning to bettors about a major decision that could leave them penniless even if they win.

Retailers can also be punished by the lottery commission if they interact with certain shoppers.

The US Sun previously told Minnesota Raffle Millionaire players to check their tickets as a $1 million ticket remains unclaimed.