A Mega Millions ticket sold in California earned over $1 million, just missing the $464 million jackpot, according to lottery officials. The ticket matched five numbers but missed the Mega Ball in the Friday, Aug. 16 drawing, winning $1,016,356, the California Lottery reported. (sacbee.com)
Nobody won the grand prize, which now climbs to an estimated $498 million, with a cash option of about $245.3 million for the next drawing on Tuesday, Aug. 20, according to the national Mega Millions site.
The winning numbers were 22, 38, 48, 51, and 61, with a Mega Ball of 5. The Megaplier was 3.
The second-prize, $1 million Mega Millions ticket bought in New Jersey for Friday’s lottery drawing was purchased at a convenience store in Union County.
California adjusts lottery prizes depending on the number of tickets sold and the number of winners.
The winning ticket from California was sold at a supermarket in Newport Coast, roughly a 50-mile drive southeast of Los Angeles.
In addition, over 142,000 other tickets sold in California won prizes ranging from $2 to more than $5,000 in the drawing, the lottery reported.
The Mega Millions jackpot has gone unclaimed since June 4, when an Illinois player hit the $552 million grand prize, lottery officials said.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT MEGA MILLIONS
To win the Mega Millions jackpot, a player must match all five white balls and the gold Mega Ball. The odds of hitting the jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350.
Tickets cost $2 each and can be purchased on the day of the drawing, though sales times vary by state.
Drawings take place on Tuesdays and Fridays at 11 p.m. ET and are available for streaming online.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
