Mega Millions player just misses $893 million jackpot — but still wins big in California

A Mega Millions ticket sold in California won $1.7 million, narrowly missing out on the estimated $893 million jackpot, lottery officials say.

The tickets matched five winning numbers in the drawing Tuesday, March 19, but not the Mega Ball, the California Lottery said.

Nobody won the grand prize, which will rise to an estimated $977 million, with a cash option of approximately $461 million, for the next drawing Friday, March. 22, the national Mega Millions site said.

The winning numbers were 24, 46, 49, 62 and 66, with a Mega Ball of 7.

The $1.7 million ticket was sold at a liquor store in Sacramento, the California Lottery said. Prizes in California are adjusted based on the number of winners and tickets sold.

More than 335,000 other tickets sold in California won prizes ranging from $2 to $20,000 in the drawing, the lottery said.

Mega Millions tickets sold in Florida, Virginia and Texas also matched five numbers to win $1 million.

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 10:22 AM with the headline "Mega Millions player just misses $893 million jackpot — but still wins big in California."