Lottery player misses Mega Millions jackpot by 1 number — but still wins a huge prize

A lottery player was one number away from winning a $165 million jackpot — but still became a millionaire in Virginia.

No one hit the jackpot in the Jan. 9 Mega Millions drawing, but the next highest prize that night went to a winner in Virginia, the Mega Millions organization announced.

The ticket matched five out of six numbers to land a $3 million prize, officials said. The numbers were 12-15-32-33-53, and the Mega Ball number was 24.

The lucky winner bought the ticket at a Murphy USA in Suffolk, the Virginia Lottery said Jan. 10. The store will receive a $10,000 bonus for selling the ticket.

Matching five numbers normally yields a win of $1 million, but the Virginia winner added a $1 megaplier to triple the prize amount, the state’s lottery officials said.

The winner beat the 1 in 12,607,306 odds of matching five white balls, officials said, but he didn’t match the gold Mega Ball. Two ticket-holders from California also beat those odds to win prizes of $1 million in the same drawing.

The estimated jackpot in the Jan. 12 drawing is $187 million, Mega Millions said.

The Virginia Lottery advises any potential winners to sign the back of their tickets right away. They have 180 days from the drawing to claim their prize.

Suffolk is about 40 miles southwest of Virginia Beach.

What to know about Mega Millions

To score a jackpot in the Mega Millions, a player must match all five white balls and the gold Mega Ball.

The odds of scoring a jackpot prize are 1 in 302,575,350.

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

Drawings are held Tuesdays and Fridays at 11 p.m. ET and can be streamed online.

Mega Millions is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.