Mega Millions ticket sold in Melville worth $1 million as jackpot climbs to $1.25 billion
The 7-Eleven on Broadhollow Road in Melville sold one second-prize ticket worth $1 million. Credit: Anthony Florio
One ticket sold on Long Island came within one correct Mega Ball number of hitting the $1.1 billion jackpot prize in Tuesday night’s Mega Millions drawing, New York lottery officials said.
But that ticket-holder will have a million reasons not to feel too sad about the close call Wednesday, despite having to settle for becoming a millionaire – instead of a billionaire.
The New York State Lottery said the $1 million second-place “consolation” prize-winning ticket was sold at a 7-Eleven store located at 613 Broadhollow Rd. in Melville.
It was one of seven consolation tickets sold in the United States – two in California, one each in Massachusetts, North Carolina, Texas, Wisconsin and New York. The Texas ticket was sold with a “Megaplier,” a paid option that made that ticket worth $4 million.
The other six winning tickets are worth $1 million each.
The jackpot for Tuesday night’s drawing was worth an estimated $1.1 billion, with a $550.2 million cash option, officials said.
The jackpot for the next Mega Millions drawing, scheduled for Friday, will be an estimated $1.25 billion, one of the largest in U.S. history – with a $625.3 million cash option – officials said Wednesday. No one has won the Mega Millions jackpot since April 18.
The winning numbers drawn Tuesday were 8, 24, 30, 45 and 61 with the number 12 Mega Ball. The seven consolation winners all had the five field numbers, but missed the winning Mega ball.
Tuesday night’s drawing was the 30th straight without a winner. The lottery drought is due to a combination of poor luck and terrible odds, as the chance of winning the Mega Millions jackpot is 1 in 302.6 million. The odds of winning smaller prizes, ranging from $2 to $1 million, are significantly better.
Numbers are drawn from a field of 70, while the Mega Ball is drawn separately from a field numbered 1-25.
A single winning ticket worth $1.537 billion was hit by someone in South Carolina on Oct. 23, 2018. Including that winning ticket, lottery officials said Mega Millions has had four billion-dollar winning tickets sold in drawings – in 2018, 2021, 2022 and one earlier this year.
—With AP
John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”
Sarra Sounds Off, Ep. 15: LI's top basketball players On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," Newsday's Gregg Sarra and Matt Lindsay take a look top boys and girls basketball players on Long Island.
Sarra Sounds Off, Ep. 15: LI's top basketball players On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," Newsday's Gregg Sarra and Matt Lindsay take a look top boys and girls basketball players on Long Island.
