Mega Millions player just misses nearly $1 billion — but still wins big in Virginia

A Mega Millions ticket sold in Virginia won $3 million, narrowly missing out on the estimated $977 million jackpot, lottery officials say.

The ticket matched five winning numbers in the drawing Friday, March 22, but not the Mega Ball, the Virginia Lottery said.

Nobody won the grand prize, which will rise to an estimated $1.1 billion, with a cash option of approximately $525 million, for the next drawing Tuesday, March 26, the national Mega Millions site said.

The winning numbers were 3, 8, 31, 35 and 44, with a Mega Ball of 16.

The winning Virginia ticket also hit the Megaplier of 3 to triple the $1 million prize, lottery officials said.

Mega Millions tickets sold in California, Florida, Illinois, Nebraska and Texas also matched five white numbers to win.

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 March 24, 2024 at 9:03 AM with the headline "Mega Millions player just misses nearly $1 billion — but still wins big in Virginia."