Mega Millions player falls short of $114 million jackpot in Texas — but still wins big
A Mega Millions ticket sold in Texas won $2 million, narrowly missing out on the estimated $114 million jackpot, lottery officials say.
The ticket matched five winning numbers in the drawing Tuesday, Jan. 2, but not the Mega Ball, the Texas Lottery said. The player also hit the Megaplier, doubling the prize.
Nobody won the grand prize, which rises to an estimated $140 million, with a cash option of approximately $69 million, for the next drawing Friday, Jan. 5, the national Mega Millions site said.
The winning numbers were 3, 18, 27, 29 and 64, with a Mega Ball of 1.
Nearly 50,000 other tickets sold in Texas won prizes ranging from $2 to $10,000 in the draw, the lottery said.
The winning ticket was sold at a gas station in Longview, about 160 miles east of Fort Worth.
Tickets sold in Arizona, California and Connecticut also matched five numbers but not the Mega Ball.
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.