Seven California players split $24 million on two crossword scratchers, including one $7 million ticket win from Bakersfield

Seven California Lottery players won a combined $24 million on two crossword scratchers, the lottery announced, among them a $7 million winner who bought the ticket at the 7-Eleven at 3698 Ming Avenue in Bakersfield.

Two players hit the $7 million top prize on the $30 Crossword Xtreme, and five hit the $2 million top prize on the $20 Instant Prize Crossword. The lottery released the winners' names and stores.

• $7 million, Crossword Xtreme: Ramon Yepez, 7-Eleven, 3698 Ming Avenue, Bakersfield
• $7 million, Crossword Xtreme: Juan Lopez, Chevron, 3272 Heritage Road, Chula Vista
• $2 million, Instant Prize Crossword: Arbi Amirian, Foothill Gas Mart, 2660 Foothill Boulevard, La Crescenta
• $2 million, Instant Prize Crossword: Christopher Gomez, Circle 7 Liquor Store, 2020 North Dinuba Boulevard, Visalia
• $2 million, Instant Prize Crossword: Darla Huddleston, Save Mart, 15240 South Harlan Road, Lathrop
• $2 million, Instant Prize Crossword: Maria Garcia Ruiz, 7-Eleven, 601 Carolyn Weston Boulevard, Stockton
• $2 million, Instant Prize Crossword: Lilian Romero, The Liquor Center, 5424 Laurel Canyon Boulevard, Suite A, North Hollywood

Crossword Xtreme launched in April with only four $7 million prizes in a printed run of about 19.2 million tickets. Game data shows two $7 million prizes left as of October 1, and about 44% of the tickets sold, which puts a ticket bought now at roughly a 1 in 5.4 million shot at one.

Instant Prize Crossword is newer and much deeper at the top. It went on sale in July with 15 prizes of $2 million in about 18 million printed tickets, and 12 $2 million prizes remain, with about 21% of the tickets sold. That works out to about a 1 in 1.18 million chance per ticket at one of the remaining top prizes.

Crossword Xtreme returns 80.1% of sales and Instant Prize Crossword 78.4%.

California does not tax its own lottery winnings, so only federal tax applies to the prizes. The state's games with the most top prizes remaining are tracked daily, and a recent set of six $1 million Money Mania winners was announced in the same way.

Sources

California Lottery: Can you spell $24 million? (release)

KTLA: Scratchers winners split $24 million

KBAK/KBFX: $7 million Crossword Xtreme ticket bought in Bakersfield