Powerball player just misses $638 million jackpot in Colorado — but still wins big

A Powerball player in Colorado won $2 million, just shy of scoring the $638 million jackpot, lottery officials said.

The player matched five of the winning numbers plus the power play in the Dec. 25 drawing, lottery officials said.

For an additional $1 per play, players can add the power play feature to their tickets to multiply non-jackpot prizes, officials said. The Match 5 prize with power play is always $2 million, officials said.

The winning numbers were 5, 12, 20, 24 and 29, with a Powerball of 4, officials said.

To score the jackpot, players must match all five numbers in any order and the red Powerball.

The odds of winning a prize are 1-in-24.87 while the odds of winning the jackpot are 1-in-292.2 million, officials said.

The next drawing will take place on Dec. 27 with an estimated jackpot of $685 million and a cash value of $344.7 million, according to lottery officials.

What to know about Powerball

To score a jackpot in the Powerball, a player must match all five white balls and the red Powerball.

The odds of scoring the jackpot prize are 1-in-292,201,338.

Tickets cost $2 and can be bought on the day of the drawing, but sales times vary by state.

Drawings are broadcast Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:59 p.m. ET and can be streamed online.

Powerball is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

This story was originally published December 26, 2023 at 12:00 PM with the headline "Powerball player just misses $638 million jackpot in Colorado — but still wins big."