The owners of a California gas station who sold the fifth-largest Mega Millions ticket in history on Friday were thrilled to discover their store had played a role in the $1.22 billion jackpot win. This comes as the family continues to rebuild their business after a devastating fire three years ago.
Jaspal Singh’s family has owned the Circle K (Sunshine Food and Gas) in Cottonwood, Calif., for two decades and they learned of the store’s incredible luck just over an hour after the drawing.
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Singh’s son, Ishar Gill, who serves as the store’s Director of Operations, was informed by lottery officials at 9:30 p.m. local time that their store had sold the winning ticket. According to KRCR, he initially couldn’t believe the news. “I had to read it two, three times,” Gill told the outlet. “I told my wife, and then we ran over to my dad’s room and told him, and he’s like, ‘Are you guys sure?… Did we really win?’ Everybody knows about it. Everybody’s excited,” he added.
The winning numbers were 3, 7, 37, 49, 55 and the gold Mega Ball of 6. Gill said he received confirmation from lottery officials at 11:30 p.m. and was informed that representatives would visit the store on Saturday to “cross our T’s and dot our I’s,” he told the Record Searchlight.
Singh and his family will be rewarded by the California Lottery for selling the billion-dollar ticket. Retailers are awarded one-half of one percent of the jackpot amount for selling a winning ticket, with a maximum payout of $1 million, according to state lottery rules.
The store staff remain unaware of who the jackpot winner is or which day the winning ticket was purchased. The lucky ticketholder, who has not yet been identified, can either choose the $1.22 billion jackpot paid in installments over 29 years or opt for a one-time lump sum of approximately $549.7 million.
A shopper offered advice to the store owners, suggesting they leave Cottonwood — a small town of 6,000 people located 145 miles north of Sacramento — and enjoy their newfound fortune. “Way to do it, man,” Christina, a resident of Shasta County, said to KRCR. “I hope you live the rest of your life in peace and happiness, just ride off into the sunset, forget this Podunk town.”
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