Mega Millions player wins big in California. Where was the lucky ticket sold?

A Mega Millions ticket sold in California won $548,195 and narrowly missed the $251 million jackpot, lottery officials say.

The ticket matched five winning numbers but not the Mega Ball in the drawing Friday, July 19, the California Lottery said.

Tickets sold in Maryland and Virginia also hit five winning numbers to collect $1 million prizes in the drawing.

Nobody won the grand prize, which rises to an estimated $279 million, with a cash option of approximately $131.1 million, for the next drawing Tuesday, July 23, the national Mega Millions site said.

The winning numbers were 10, 17, 23, 50 and 67 with a Mega Ball of 3. The Megaplier was 3.

The $548,195 ticket was sold at a grocery store in Los Angeles.

Nearly 100,000 other tickets sold in California won prizes ranging from $2 to more than $12,000 in the drawing, the lottery said.

California adjusts lottery prizes based on the number of tickets sold and number of winners.

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 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 July 21, 2024 at 6:19 AM.