Mega Millions players just miss $20 million jackpot in California — but still win big
Two Mega Millions tickets sold in California just missed the $20 million jackpot but won $14,368 each, lottery officials said.
The tickets matched four of five winning numbers plus the Mega Ball in the drawing Tuesday, Jan. 21, the California Lottery said.
Nobody won the grand prize, which now rises to an estimated $28 million, with a cash option of approximately $12.5 million, for the next drawing Friday, Jan. 24, the national Mega Millions site said.
The winning numbers were 27, 30, 56, 64 and 65 with a Mega Ball of 22, the lottery said. The Megaplier multiplier was 4x.
More than 330,000 other tickets sold in the United States won prizes ranging from $2 to $40,000 in the drawing, the lottery said.
The Mega Millions jackpot was last hit Friday, Jan. 17, when an Arizona player won the $112 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.
This story was originally published January 22, 2025 at 2:09 PM with the headline "Mega Millions players just miss $20 million jackpot in California — but still win big."