Mega Millions player misses out on $535m jackpot by one number that means barren spell continues – but still scoops $1m

A LUCKY lottery player scooped a million-dollar prize but in a painful twist of fate, managed to miss the jackpot by one number.

The unknown Mega Millions player from Texas won the $1 million prize on Friday’s draw by matching the five white numbers.

AFP

The winning lottery ticket was purchased at a gas station in Abilene, around 150 miles west of Forth Worth.

However, they failed to get the correct Mega Ball number which would have seen them win $535 million.

Two other players on Friday also narrowly avoided the jackpot thanks to that final Mega Ball number.

The winning numbers were: 28, 30, 44, 66, 69, and Mega Ball 2.

However, one player in Tennessee who won the $1 million prize for the first five numbers managed to triple their prize to $3 million.

When purchasing their lottery ticket, the player decided to spend extra on choosing the multiplier of 3X.

The multiplier, when purchased, ensures that if people win a large prize, they can multiply it for an even bigger win.

However, with no one being lucky enough to win the jackpot, the prize has rolled over again to $575 million.

Players will have to wait until the next drawing on Tuesday to see if they can break the dry spell.

The Mega Millions jackpot was last won in Illinois on June 4.

They won the ninth-largest Mega Millions jackpot in the game’s history at $552 million.

With the current jackpot higher than this, the next overall winner will find themselves in the history books.

The overall odds of winning a prize in the Mega Millions game is one in 24.

However, the odds of scooping the jackpot are just one in 302,575,350.

How to win the Mega Millions

There are a total of nine ways to win a prize in Mega Millions, ranging from the jackpot down to $2:

1. The player matches 1 gold Mega ball – $2
2. The player matches 1 white ball and 1 gold Mega ball – $4
3. The player matches 2 white balls and 1 gold Mega ball – $10
4. The player matches 3 white balls – $10
5. The player matches 3 white balls and 1 gold Mega ball – $200
6. The player matches 4 white balls – $500
7. The player matches 4 white balls and 1 gold Mega ball – $10,000
8. The player matches 5 white balls – $1,000,000
9. The player matches 5 white balls and 1 gold Mega ball – Jackpot

There are two drawings per week with one on Tuesdays and another on Fridays at 11 pm ET.

Meanwhile, lottery officials are urging players in Arizona to check their tickets as they search for the state’s next millionaire.

A Mega Millions player scooped a winning $1 million ticket which was drawn on August 20 from the Chevron station in San Luis, south of Yma near the Mexico border.

The winning numbers were 5, 20, 26, 49, 51, and 24 with a Megaplier 4X.

The sooner the winner is found, the better, with the prize set to expire on February 16, 2025.

Meanwhile, another winner has just under a month to claim their money before losing it all to the state .