California Lottery: $45 million Calif. SuperLotto winner claims jackpotThe holder of a $45 million California SuperLotto Plus ticket, which was purchased at a Calabasas Shell station, came forward Monday, lottery officials said.
Lee Jarrett claimed the jackpot, saying he just realized that he was holding the winning ticket from last Wednesday's drawing.
"I checked the Lottery's Web site around 3 a.m. and then I just stared at the ticket for 20 to 30 minutes, making sure I had the right draw date and that all the numbers really matched and that I wasn't imagining it," Jarrett said.
Jarrett, who bought the ticket at Oak Shell at 22295 Mulholland Highway, took the cash option, meaning he will receive about $22.5 million before taxes.
The winning ticket matched all six numbers drawn that were: 7, 15, 23, 27, 44 and Mega number 19. Sami Hadad, the owner of the Shell station, will receive a $225,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket. The bonus is equal to half of 1 percent of the jackpot. He said he would use the money to pay off a motor home he just bought and bolster his daughter's college fund.
Jarrett said he shared a bottle of champagne with some friends after realizing he had won. He said he already had some idea about how to spend the money.
"I plan on saving 99 percent of it and investing, although I may splurge on a second car, maybe a convertible," he said.
The odds of picking all five numbers and the Mega number is 41,416,353 to 1, according to the California Lottery Web site.
