Powerball player in Texas falls just short of $700 million jackpot — but still wins big

A Powerball ticket sold in Texas won $2 million, narrowly missing out on the $700 million top jackpot, lottery officials say.

The ticket matched all five winning numbers in the draw Wednesday, Dec. 27, but not the Powerball, the Texas Lottery said.

The ticket also matched the Power Play for the drawing, doubling the prize to $2 million.

Nobody claimed the top prize, which will carry over to the next drawing Saturday, Dec. 30, with an estimated jackpot of $760 million, lottery officials said.

The winning numbers were 4, 11, 38, 51 and 68, with a Powerball of 5.

Nearly 123,000 tickets sold in Texas won prizes from $4 to $50,000 in the draw, the lottery said.

The $2 million ticket was sold at a convenience store in Katy, officials said.

A ticket sold in California also matched five numbers but not the Powerball.

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 December 28, 2023 at 3:59 PM with the headline "Powerball player in Texas falls just short of $700 million jackpot — but still wins big."