California State Lottery to be confused with the gold-colored ball in Mega Millions, which also is known as the "Mega Number".) The California Lottery has offered a number of jackpot games, beginning with its "6-49" game in 1986, which became a 53-number game (drawing a seventh, "bonus" ball) in 1990, then changed again, to a 51-number game. The current variant, 5/47 + 1/27, began in 2000. On February 16th, 2002, the California Lottery's then-highest payout of $193 million was split by three tickets. Other big jackpots include $141 million dollars on Saturday June 23rd, 2001 that was won by one ticket, a $122
Lottery government sold the lottery ticket rights to brokers, who in turn hired agents and runners to sell them. These brokers eventually became the modern day stockbrokers for various commercial ventures. Most people could not afford the entire cost of a lottery ticket, so the brokers would sell shares in a ticket; this resulted in tickets being issued with a notation such as "Sixteenth" or "Third Class". Many private lotteries were held, including raising money for The Virginia Company of London to support its settlement in America at Jamestown. The English State Lottery ran from 1694 until 1826. Thus, the English