It may not be the Fourth of July yet, but one lucky California Lottery player is seeing fireworks.
According to a press release from the California Lottery, someone purchased a Fantasy 5 ticket in Carmichael recently that matched all five numbers to win the top prize of $704,555 (before federal taxes). Although the winner has not yet come forward, the winning ticket was sold at a Carmichael Stop N Shop, 5008 El Camino Ave. The lucky ticket matched the winning numbers: 9-1-18-24 and 31.
This is the largest Fantasy 5 prize that any California Lottery player has won this year and the largest since Oct. 1, 2015, when one Los Angeles winner collected $610,882. The $704,555 prize came close to breaking the $729,505 mark, which in 1992 was the largest Fantasy 5 jackpot ever won.
The California Lottery strongly urges the Carmichael winner to sign the back of their ticket in ink, keep it in a safe place and contact Lottery officials, or visit any of the nine Lottery District Offices as soon as possible. Players have 180 days from the date of the draw to claim the Fantasy 5 top prize.
A Fantasy 5 player wins the Fantasy 5 top prize simply by matching five numbers out of a field of 39. Winning numbers are drawn every day. Tickets are $1 and can be purchased from any of the more than 22,000 California Lottery retailers or one of the more than 4,000 Lottery Lucky Retailers.
