LOS ANGELES — It took the winner of a record California Mega Millions jackpot several weeks to come forward because he didn’t realize he had the ticket, officials said.
He was identified Friday as Steve Tran, but lottery officials said he asked that no other information about his background be revealed.
The ticket is worth $324 million, or half the $648-million jackpot. If Tran chooses the cash option, his ticket is estimated to be worth $173.8 million.
Lottery officials said Tran followed the media coverage about the jackpot.
The Northern California resident had put the winning ticket, purchased in San Jose on Dec. 17 during a delivery route that included multiple cities, in a drawer. There it remained until he recently returned from vacation, lottery officials said Friday.