First he made everyone wait for 10 days. When Leopoldo Choi finally revealed he purchased the winning Mega Millions lottery ticket from a Century City gas station earlier this month, he simply chose to collect his winnings without any fanfare. There were no photos of Choi holding a large replica check of his winnings.
Still, Choi was able to verify his winning ticket at the California Lottery’s Van Nuys district office on April 14. Choi had won the April 4 Mega Millions drawing, which was worth $30 million.
According to the California Lottery, Choi elected the “cash option,” meaning he walked home with a $16.6 million lump sum payment.
“While Choi has decided to remain low key on what he plans to do with his winnings, we can tell you that the winning ticket was a Quick Pick and Choi has decided to take the cash option of $16.6 million,” a statement issued by the California Lottery read.
In addition to Choi’s cash prize, the gas station where he purchased his “Quick Pick” ticket also receives $150,000 for selling Choi the winning numbers.
The $150,000 cash prize is 0.5 percent of the $30 million prize.
Choi purchased his winning ticket from the Century City 76 station located at 10389 Santa Monica Boulevard in between Beverly Glen Boulevard and Century Park West.
When Choi perfectly picked all six numbers in the April 4 Mega Millions drawing, it marked the third time in three weeks someone claimed a Mega Millions jackpot.
The winning numbers were 1, 10, 15, 41, 54, and Mega Ball 9. Choi accurately picked the five drawing numbers plus the Mega Ball. According to the Mega Millions website, the odds of Choi exactly selecting all six numbers were 1 in 258,890,850.
There were two second-place winners in the April 4 drawing, according to Mega Millions, including one ticket sold to a player in the San Francisco Bay Area and another in Georgia.
Overall chances of winning any prize are 1 in 15.
In the most recent Mega Millions drawing on April 18, an estimated 17.3 million people reportedly purchased tickets. The drawn numbers for that drawing was 8-25-38-45-63 and Mega Ball 9.
According to news reports, a winning ticket was not sold for the April 18 drawing, nor was there a second place winner. However, there were 18 third place winners (correctly pick any four of the first five numbers plus the Mega Ball). A third place win yielded a $5,000 cash prize.
With no jackpot winner in the April 18 drawing, the next Mega Millions drawing on April 22 is now worth a reported $48 million with a $27 million cash option.
Federal taxes are assessed upon the amount actually collected. Choi, for example, would be assessed a 25 percent tax on the $16.6 million he cashed, not on the $30 million value of the jackpot.
Mega Millions is played in 43 states plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are held twice weekly – Tuesday and Friday – at 8 p.m. (PST). Tickets can be purchased for $1 at any of California’s 21,000 lottery retailers.
The minimum prize for a Mega Millions winning ticket is $1, which is awarded for anyone who only selects the Mega Ball number.
