Powerball player in Texas falls just short of $842 million jackpot — but still wins big

A Powerball ticket sold in Texas won $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 Texas Lottery said. It also matched the Power Play, doubling the prize.

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 148,000 other tickets sold in Texas won prizes from $4 to $150,000 in the draw, the lottery said.

The winning ticket was sold at a gas station in Laredo, the lottery said.

Tickets sold in Florida, California, Connecticut and Maryland 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 January 2, 2024 at 9:52 AM with the headline "Powerball player in Texas falls just short of $842 million jackpot — but still wins big."