Mega Millions player wins big but falls just short of $236 million jackpot in New Jersey

A Mega Millions ticket sold in New Jersey won $1 million, narrowly missing out on the estimated $236 million jackpot, lottery officials say.

The tickets matched five winning numbers in the drawing Friday, Jan. 19, but not the Mega Ball, the national Mega Millions site said.

Nobody won the grand prize, which will rise to an estimated $262 million, with a cash option of approximately $123 million, for the next drawing on Tuesday, Jan. 23.

The winning numbers were 1, 9, 16, 17 and 30, with a Mega Ball of 17.

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 January 21, 2024 at 10:34 AM with the headline "Mega Millions player wins big but falls just short of $236 million jackpot in New Jersey."