$1M Mega Millions Winner In MA; Ticket Still Unclaimed

Someone in Massachusetts came a Mega Ball away from winning $50 million over the weekend. Still, the lucky somebody won $1 million in Friday's Mega Millions drawing.

Two people in the United States matched all five Mega Millions numbers in Friday, Jan. 11's drawing. One of those people was in Delaware. The other: Massachusetts.

In fact, the winning ticket was sold at Nobscot Convenience Store on Edgell Rd. in Framingham. Lottery officials said Monday morning the winner has not come forward to claim their prize yet. Winners have one year from the date of the drawing to collect.

The winning numbers Friday were 4, 5, 31, 62, 69. The Mega Ball was 20.

The prize for matching all five numbers is $1 million. Neither of the winners played the Megaplier, which was 3x - if they had, then the prize would have multiplied to $3 million. And if either had nailed the Mega Ball, they would have won the $50 million jackpot, with an estimated cash payout of $30 million.

The lottery doesn't announce all the details of the winners of lesser prizes, but there were nine $10,000 prizes won in Friday's drawing, 242 $500 prizes and 617 $200. A tidy 257,055 won $2.

The jackpot for Tuesday, Jan. 15, has grown to $55 million. The estimated cash payout is $33 million. The jackpot hasn't been won since New Year's Day, when a $415 prize was won - the eighth largest in the game's history.

The odds of picking the correct numbers on five white balls and one yellow ball (the Mega Ball) are one in 302.6 million. No matter how many people play Mega Millions, the chances of winning never change. The chances of winning are based on the number combinations not the number of players buying tickets.

The Megaplier add-on, which costs an extra dollar, increases non-jackpot prizes by two to five times.

Players pick six numbers from two separate pools of numbers – five different numbers from 1 to 70 and one number from 1 to 25 (the Mega Ball number.) Players can also use an easy pick feature, where a computer selects random numbers for them. To win the jackpot, a player much match all six numbers.

Players who match some of the numbers could still win some money. Here is the payout schedule for lesser prizes, not including the Megaplier, which is different for each game:

• 5 + 0 = $1 million (five numbers by not the Mega Ball)
• 4 + 1 = $10,000 (four numbers and the Mega Ball)
• 4+ 0 = $500 (four numbers without the Mega Ball)
• 3 + 1 = $200 (three numbers and the Mega Ball)
• 3 + 0 = $10 (three numbers but not the Mega Ball)
• 2 + 1 = $10 (two numbers and the Mega Ball)
• 1 + 1 = $4 (one number and the Mega Ball)
• 0 + 1 = $2 (just the Mega Ball)

Mega Millions tickets are $2 each and can be played in 44 states, Washington D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Lottery hopefuls had until 10:45 p.m. EST to buy tickets. The drawing is held at 11 p.m. EST in Atlanta.

Photo by Jenna Fisher, Patch