As Mega Millions Pot Hits $680 Million, Here's A List Of California's Luckiest Lotto Stores - Beritaja

The Mega Millions jackpot has ballooned to an estimated $680 million, landing it successful the apical 10 database of the game’s highest jackpots of each time, pinch millions of group crossed the state hoping to deed it large connected Friday. Lucky for Californians, lotto stores successful Los Angeles and elsewhere successful the authorities person a beardown grounds of producing wins.

The 3 largest Powerball jackpots connected grounds person each been won by Golden State residents, and conscionable this week the Village Spirit Shoppe successful Westlake Village produced its 3rd multimillionaire, according to the California Lottery.

As the Mega Millions drafting approaches, will lightning onslaught again astatine immoderate of the state’s luckiest stores? Here’s a database of the spots known for trading big-dollar tickets.

Joe’s Service Center successful Altadena

A database of the luckiest lotto stores successful California would not beryllium complete without a mention of Joe’s Service Center, known for producing the biggest Powerball triumph of each time, worthy $2.04 billion. Edwin Castro bought the fortunate summons successful 2022, beating the 1-to-292-million likelihood to win.

Joseph Chahayed, proprietor of Joe’s Service Center, sold a $2.04-billion Powerball summons successful 2022.

(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

He ne'er made a nationalist quality and opted to person a lump-sum costs for the jackpot. Castro has since purchased a $25.5-million home successful the Hollywood Hills, a $3.8-million Malibu location and a $3.98-million Altadena location not acold from wherever he purchased the life-changing portion of paper. Unfortunately, the Altadena and Malibu homes were destroyed successful the Eaton and Palisades fires.

The proprietor of Joe’s Service Center, Joseph Chahayed, earned $1 cardinal for trading the winning summons and said he intended to stock the reward pinch his family and grandchildren. He said lottery income tripled astatine his shop successful the months pursuing the win.

Bluebird Liquor successful Hawthorne

Bluebird Liquor has a reputation arsenic the luckiest lotto shop successful each of L.A. County, having produced 4 tickets worthy astatine slightest $1 cardinal since 2013. As fable has it, rubbing a summons connected the songbird figurine wrong the shop will summation the purchaser’s chance of cashing out.

The store’s lucky streak stretches backmost decades. From 1985 to 1993, the shop produced about $20 cardinal worthy of authorities lottery wins — $16 cardinal from 3 jackpot wins and $4 cardinal from partial wins.

Midway Market & Liquors successful Kern County

The second-biggest Powerball win ever was produced by a liquor shop successful the Frazier Park organization of Kern County successful 2023. There, a group of winners represented by section resident Theodorus Struyck purchased the fortunate summons worthy $1.765 billion.

Chris Khalil, left, and his father, Nidal Khalil, observe aft a $1.765-billion lottery summons was sold astatine Midway Market & Liquors.

(Alex Horvath / Los Angeles Times)

Nidal Khalil co-owns the shop pinch his relative and was thrilled that aft about 30 years successful business a customer had deed it big. Khalil said he planned to usage his $1 cardinal successful reward money to salary for his children’s assemblage tuition.

Village Spirit Shoppe successful Westlake Village

The Village Spirit Shoppe successful Westlake Village precocious sold a $50-million winning Super Lotto Plus ticket, the largest prize successful the authorities lottery truthful acold this year, which besides marked the 3rd multimillionaire produced by the store.

Mimi Shon told the California Lottery that her mother has owned the shop for 30 years and that the family looks guardant to taking a bully picnic pinch the $250,000 prize they will person from trading the winning ticket.

The shop besides sold a $10-million Ultimate Millions Scratchers crippled successful 2021 and a $3-million Set for Life Scratchers crippled successful 2017. The store’s luck extends to smaller wins excessively — the Shons sold a Powerball summons worthy $23,525 past period and a Fantasy 5 summons worthy much than $63,000 successful March.

Las Palmitas Mini Market adjacent Skid Row

Maria Menjivar gives distant a free T-shirt aft her store, Las Palmitas Mini Market, sold a winning lottery ticket.

(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

Located successful a low-income area successful the metropolis of Los Angeles, Las Palmitas Mini Market became celebrated for producing a billionaire. The unassuming area shop sold a jackpot-winning Powerball summons worthy $1.04 cardinal successful 2023.

Maria Leticia Menjivar, an migrant from El Salvador, opened the business pinch her husband, Nabor Herrera, successful 2017. The fortunate summons proprietor was identified arsenic Yanira Alvarez, who opted to person a lump-sum costs of her winnings.

Chevron position successful Encino

In a first successful California Mega Millions history, 2 tickets purchased from the aforesaid Chevron position connected Ventura Boulevard successful Encino deed the $395-million jackpot.

Faramarz Lahijani came guardant pinch 1 of the 2 winning tickets successful June 2024. However, the 2nd summons went unclaimed, and the winnings expired a twelvemonth aft the December 2023 drawing. In an absorbing move of events, Lahijani past revenge a suit against the California Lottery claiming he was really the rightful proprietor of some tickets but had mislaid the 2nd one.

The California lawyer general’s agency has based on that the lawsuit should beryllium dismissed, but it is still pending successful court.