Mega Millions player ‘almost fell to the floor’ when he saw prize. ‘Unbelievable’

A Mega Millions player narrowly missed the jackpot, but he still “almost fell to the floor” when he saw his prize in Virginia.

Antwain Eason won a second-tier prize of $1 million in the July 23 Mega Millions drawing, the Virginia Lottery said Aug. 14.

“It’s unbelievable,” he told lottery officials.

The Virginia Beach man was one of five players in the country to match the first five numbers but not the Mega Ball in the drawing, missing the $279 million jackpot, McClatchy News previously reported.

Three of those players added Megaplier to their tickets and ended up with $4 million wins, according to Mega Millions records.

The winning numbers were 3-9-14-26-51, with a Mega Ball of 21.

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.

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 August 16, 2024 at 6:16 PM with the headline "Mega Millions player ‘almost fell to the floor’ when he saw prize. ‘Unbelievable’."