Mega Millions player just misses $893 million jackpot — but still wins big in Florida
.jpg "A Mega Millions player missed the jackpot prize but still won big in Florida.")
A Mega Millions player narrowly missed a jackpot prize — but is still set to get a big windfall in Florida.
That’s because the person’s lucky ticket matched enough numbers picked in the March 19 drawing to be worth $1 million, according to a Mega Millions news release.
The winning numbers: white balls 24-46-49-62-66, with the gold Mega Ball number 7.
The Florida ticket matched all five white balls to score the win. But it was just one number from the larger jackpot, which stood at an estimated $893 million the night of the drawing.
Though no one hit the jackpot, $1 million tickets also were sold in California, Texas and Virginia, drawing results show.
The Sunshine State’s winner bought their lucky ticket at the RaceTrac gas station on Furlong Street in Bonita Springs, a roughly 25-mile drive south from Fort Myers. But as of noon, the $1 million winner hadn’t come forward to claim the prize, the Florida Lottery told McClatchy News in an email.
The winner has about six months to cash in, according to game rules.
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.
This story was originally published March 20, 2024 at 8:51 AM with the headline "Mega Millions player just misses $893 million jackpot — but still wins big in Florida."
