Mega Millions player misses $60 million jackpot — but still wins big in Georgia
A Mega Millions player in Georgia won $3 million, just missing the $60 million jackpot, lottery officials said.
The ticket matched five winning numbers but not the Mega Ball with a 3x multiplier in the drawing Friday, July 4, Georgia Lottery officials said.
The winning ticket was sold at a Publix in Kennesaw, which is about a 30-mile drive northwest from Atlanta, lottery officials said in an email to McClatchy News.
Nobody won the grand prize, which now rises to an estimated $70 million, with a cash option of approximately $31.3 million, for the next drawing Tuesday, July 8, the national Mega Millions site said.
The winning numbers were 17, 20, 24, 41 and 42 with a Mega Ball of 24, the lottery said.
More than 190,000 other tickets sold in the United States also won prizes ranging from $10 to $30,000 in the drawing, the lottery said.
The Mega Millions jackpot was last hit June 27, when a Virginia player won the $348 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 290,472,336.
Tickets cost $5 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 July 6, 2025 at 9:28 AM.