Mega Millions player wins $2.2 million in California. Where was lucky ticket sold?

A Mega Millions ticket sold in California won $2.2 million and narrowly missed the $740 million jackpot, lottery officials say.

The California ticket matched all five winning numbers but not the Mega Ball in the drawing Friday, Sept. 6, to win $2,233,779, the California Lottery said.

Jackpots in California are adjusted based on the number of tickets sold and prizes won.

The lucky ticket was sold at a gas station in Cathedral City, which is about a 5-mile drive southeast from Palm Springs.

Tickets sold in Florida, Illinois, New Hampshire and Texas also matched five winning numbers for $1 million prizes. A ticket sold in Ohio also matched the Megaplier to win $2 million.

Nobody won the grand prize, which rises to an estimated $800 million, with a cash option of approximately $401.8 million, for the next drawing Tuesday, Sept. 10, the national Mega Millions site said.

The winning numbers were 6, 23, 41, 59 and 63 with a Mega Ball of 25. The Megaplier was 2.

Nearly 1.7 million other tickets sold in the United States won prizes ranging from $2 to $20,000 in the drawing, the lottery said.

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 September 8, 2024 at 6:22 AM.