Powerball player narrowly misses $656 million jackpot — but still wins big in Virginia
A Powerball player was one number away from hitting the $656 million jackpot, but they still won big with a ticket sold in Virginia.
No one took home the jackpot prize in the March 18 Powerball drawing, but the Virginia ticket holder landed a $1 million win, according to Powerball.
The Virginia winner matched the five white balls of 10, 17 20, 39 and 44 but missed the red Powerball of 16, according to lottery officials. They beat the 1-in-11,688,053 odds to take home the second-highest prize of the night behind a $2 million Power Play ticket sold in Tampa, Florida.
Other $1 million prizes came from tickets sold in Texas, Minnesota and Maryland, McClatchy News reported.
The winning ticket came from a CVS in Blacksburg, home to Virginia Tech, according to the Virginia Lottery. Blacksburg is in Montgomery County, about a 200-mile drive southwest of Richmond.
The winner has 180 days to claim their prize. Virginia Lottery officials advise winners to sign the backs of their tickets right away.
The jackpot is expected to rise to $687 million in the drawing on Wednesday, March 20, with an estimated cash value of $327.3 million.
What to know about Powerball
To score a jackpot in the Powerball, a player must match all five white balls and the red Powerball.
The odds of scoring the jackpot prize are 1 in 292,201,338.
Tickets cost $2 and can be bought on the day of the drawing, but sales times vary by state.
Drawings are broadcast Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:59 p.m. ET and can be streamed online.
Powerball is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
This story was originally published March 19, 2024 at 10:13 AM with the headline "Powerball player narrowly misses $656 million jackpot — but still wins big in Virginia."