The odds have to be astronomical -- two tickets that matched all six numbers in Friday’s Mega Millions jackpot drawing were bought at the same gas station in Southern California.
According to a news release from the Mega Millions website, the tickets were sold at a Chevron station located at 18081 Ventura Blvd. in Encino.
The winning numbers for Friday’s estimated $394 million jackpot were 21, 26, 53, 56 and 70, along with the Gold Mega Ball, which was 13. The Megaplier was 3X.
The winners can choose to take the amount in an annuity paid over 30 years or opt for a lump sum of approximately $189 million before applicable taxes. In either scenario -- or if one winner takes the annuity and the other goes for the lump-sum option -- the winners will split the prize.
The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350. One can only imagine what the odds are for two winning tickets to be bought at the same location.
The Mega Millions jackpot had been rolling over since Oct. 6, when it was won in Texas by a South Dakota-based trust, lottery officials said.
Lottery officials said there were 715,952 winning tickets across all other prize tiers in Friday’s drawing. No one matched five white balls in the second tier, which was worth $1 million.
Twelve tickets matched the third tier -- four white balls plus the Mega Ball. Two were worth $30,000 because the ticket buyers played the 3X Megaplier. The other 10 are worth $10,000 apiece.
The jackpot now resets to $20 million for Tuesday’s drawing.
Tickets for the $2 game are sold in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
