California

Two Mega Millions players win $560,000 each in California. Where were lucky tickets sold?

Nobody won the grand prize, which now rises to an estimated $670 million, with a cash option of approximately $317.8 million.
Nobody won the grand prize, which now rises to an estimated $670 million, with a cash option of approximately $317.8 million. Getty Images/iStockphoto

Two Mega Millions tickets sold in California won $560,000 each and narrowly missed the $619 million jackpot, lottery officials say.

The tickets matched five winning numbers, but not the Mega Ball, in the drawing Tuesday, Dec. 10, the national Mega Millions site said.

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

Nobody won the grand prize, which now rises to an estimated $670 million, with a cash option of approximately $317.8 million, for the next drawing Friday, Dec. 13, the site said.

The winning numbers were 12, 14, 26, 48 and 52, with a Mega Ball of 21, the lottery said. The Megaplier was 5x.

The winning California tickets were sold at Hill Street Cafe in Los Angeles and a 7-Eleven in Holtville, which is about a 125-mile drive east from San Diego, the California Lottery said.

A ticket sold in Maryland also matched five numbers to win $1 million and one sold in Florida matched five numbers and the Megaplier to win $5 million.

More than 1.1 million other tickets sold in the United States won prizes ranging from $2 to $50,000 in the drawing, the lottery said.

The Mega Millions jackpot has gone unclaimed since Sept. 10, when a Texas player hit the $810 million grand prize, lottery officials said.

What to know about Mega Millions

To score the 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. Officials have announced they will cost $5 starting in April.

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.

Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.

If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.

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This story was originally published December 11, 2024 at 6:29 AM.

DS
Don Sweeney
The Sacramento Bee
Don Sweeney has been a newspaper reporter and editor in California for more than 35 years. He is a service reporter based at The Sacramento Bee.
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