Mega Millions hits $680 million: California’s luckiest lotto stores

The Mega Millions jackpot has ballooned to an estimated $680 million, landing it in the top 10 list of the game’s highest jackpots of all time, with millions of people across the country hoping to hit it big on Friday. Lucky for Californians, lotto stores in Los Angeles and elsewhere in the state have a strong record of producing wins.

The three largest Powerball jackpots on record have all been won by Golden State residents, and just this week the Village Spirit Shoppe in Westlake Village produced its third multimillionaire, according to the California Lottery.

As the Mega Millions drawing approaches, will lightning strike again at any of the state’s luckiest stores? Here’s a list of the spots known for selling big-dollar tickets.

Joe’s Service Center in Altadena

A list of the luckiest lotto stores in California would not be complete without a mention of Joe’s Service Center, known for producing the biggest Powerball win of all time, worth $2.04 billion. Edwin Castro bought the lucky ticket in 2022, beating the 1-to-292-million odds to win.

Joseph Chahayed, owner of Joe’s Service Center, sold a $2.04-billion Powerball ticket in 2022.

(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

He never made a public appearance and opted to receive a lump-sum payment for the jackpot. Castro has since purchased a $25.5-million home in the Hollywood Hills, a $3.8-million Malibu home and a $3.98-million Altadena house not far from where he purchased the life-changing piece of paper. Unfortunately, the Altadena and Malibu homes were destroyed in the Eaton and Palisades fires.

The owner of Joe’s Service Center, Joseph Chahayed, earned $1 million for selling the winning ticket and said he intended to share the reward with his family and grandchildren. He said lottery sales tripled at his store in the months following the win.

Bluebird Liquor in Hawthorne

Bluebird Liquor has a reputation as the luckiest lotto shop in all of L.A. County, having produced four tickets worth at least $1 million since 2013. As legend has it, rubbing a ticket on the songbird figurine inside the store will increase the purchaser’s chance of cashing out.

The store’s lucky streak stretches back decades. From 1985 to 1993, the store produced around $20 million worth of state lottery wins — $16 million from three jackpot wins and $4 million from partial wins.

Midway Market & Liquors in Kern County

The second-biggest Powerball win ever was produced by a liquor store in the Frazier Park community of Kern County in 2023. There, a group of winners represented by local resident Theodorus Struyck purchased the lucky ticket worth $1.765 billion.

Chris Khalil, left, and his father, Nidal Khalil, celebrate after a $1.765-billion lottery ticket was sold at Midway Market & Liquors.

(Alex Horvath / Los Angeles Times)

Nidal Khalil co-owns the store with his brother and was thrilled that after nearly 30 years in business a customer had hit it big. Khalil said he planned to use his $1 million in reward money to pay for his children’s college tuition.

Village Spirit Shoppe in Westlake Village

The Village Spirit Shoppe in Westlake Village recently sold a $50-million winning Super Lotto Plus ticket, the largest prize in the state lottery so far this year, which also marked the third multimillionaire produced by the store.

Mimi Shon told the California Lottery that her mother has owned the store for 30 years and that the family looks forward to taking a nice vacation with the $250,000 bonus they will receive from selling the winning ticket.

The store also sold a $10-million Ultimate Millions Scratchers game in 2021 and a $3-million Set for Life Scratchers game in 2017. The store’s luck extends to smaller wins too — the Shons sold a Powerball ticket worth $23,525 last month and a Fantasy 5 ticket worth more than $63,000 in March.

Las Palmitas Mini Market near Skid Row

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

(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

Located in a low-income area in the city of Los Angeles, Las Palmitas Mini Market became famous for producing a billionaire. The unassuming corner store sold a jackpot-winning Powerball ticket worth $1.04 billion in 2023.

Maria Leticia Menjivar, an immigrant from El Salvador, opened the business with her husband, Nabor Herrera, in 2017. The lucky ticket owner was identified as Yanira Alvarez, who opted to receive a lump-sum payment of her winnings.

Chevron station in Encino

In a first in California Mega Millions history, two tickets purchased from the same Chevron station on Ventura Boulevard in Encino hit the $395-million jackpot.

Faramarz Lahijani came forward with one of the two winning tickets in June 2024. However, the second ticket went unclaimed, and the winnings expired a year after the December 2023 drawing. In an interesting turn of events, Lahijani then filed a lawsuit against the California Lottery claiming he was actually the rightful owner of both tickets but had lost the second one.

The California attorney general’s office has argued that the case should be dismissed, but it is still pending in court.