Player wins big Mega Millions prize in California as jackpot hits $576 million

A Mega Millions ticket sold in California fell just one number short of winning the $542 million jackpot, lottery officials said.

Instead, the lucky ticket won $38,772..

The ticket matched four winning numbers and/but not the Mega Ball in the drawing Friday, July 3, with a 3x multiplier, the California State Lottery said.

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

Where was winning Mega Millions ticket sold in California?

The lucky ticket was sold at Vons Express at 550 W. Teft St. in Nipomo, the lottery said. Nipomo is about 25 miles southeast of San Luis Obispo.

What were winning numbers in Friday’s drawing?

The winning numbers were 5, 9, 29, 47 and 57 with a Mega Ball of 16, the lottery said.

A player in Pennsylvania won $3 million.

What is the new Mega Millions jackpot?

Nobody won the jackpot, which now rises to an estimated $576 million, with a cash option of approximately $253.9 million, for the next drawing Tuesday, July 7, the national Mega Millions site said.

Nearly 340,000 other tickets sold in the United States also won prizes ranging from $10 to $50,000 in the drawing, the lottery said.

More than 45,000 tickets sold in California also won prizes.

The Mega Millions jackpot was previously hit March 10, when an Illinois player won the $536 million grand prize, lottery officials said.

How to play Mega Millions lottery game

To score the jackpot in 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 290,472,336.

Tickets cost $5 and can be bought on the day of the drawing, but sales times vary by state.

When is the next Mega Millions drawing?

Drawings are held Tuesdays and Fridays at 8 p.m. PT and can be streamed online.

The next drawing will be Tuesday, July 7..

Mega Millions is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.