Powerball player in California just misses $842 million jackpot — but still wins big

A Powerball ticket sold in California won $1.2 million, just missing out on the estimated $842 million jackpot, lottery officials say.

The ticket matched five winning numbers in the drawing Monday, Jan. 1, but not the Powerball, the California Lottery said.

A ticket sold in Michigan, however, did win the $842 million jackpot, the national Powerball site said. The jackpot in the next drawing Wednesday, Jan. 3, drops to the starting $20 million.

The winning numbers were 12, 21, 42, 44 and 49, with a Powerball of 1.

More than 245,000 other tickets sold in California won prizes from $4 to $22,000 in the draw, the lottery said. Prizes in California are calculated based on the number of tickets sold and number of winners.

The winning ticket was sold at a store in Baker in San Bernardino County, about 175 northeast of Los Angeles.

Tickets sold in Florida, Connecticut, Maryland and Texas also matched 5 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 January 2, 2024 at 9:26 AM with the headline "Powerball player in California just misses $842 million jackpot — but still wins big."