Life-changing Mega Millions win in California. Where was lucky ticket sold?
A Mega Millions ticket sold in Southern California fell just one number short of winning the $120 million jackpot, lottery officials said.
Instead, the lucky ticket won $1,265,778..
The ticket matched five winning numbers but not the Mega Ball in the drawing Friday, with a 3x multiplier, the California State Lottery said.
California adjusts lottery prizes based on the number of tickets sold and number of winners.
Where was winning Mega Millions ticket sold in California?
The lucky ticket was sold at an Arco AM/PM store at 280 Old Nuevo Road in Perris, which is about a 25-mile drive south from San Bernardino.
What were winning numbers in Friday’s drawing?
The winning numbers were 30, 42, 49, 53 and 66 with a Mega Ball of 4, the lottery said.
A player in New York also won $2 million in the drawing.
What is the new Mega Millions jackpot?
Nobody won the jackpot, which now rises to an estimated $285 million, with a cash option of approximately $128.6 million, for the next drawing Tuesday, the national Mega Millions site stated
Nearly 270,000 other tickets sold in the United States also won prizes ranging from $10 to $30,0000 in the drawing, the lottery said.
More than 36,000 tickets sold in California also won prizes.
The Mega Millions jackpot was previously hit Dec. 2, when a New Jersey player won the $90 million grand prize, lottery officials said.
How to play Mega Millions lottery game
To score the jackpot in Mega Millions, a player must match all five white balls and the gold Mega Ball. The odds of scoring a jackpot prize are 1 in 290,472,336.
Tickets cost $5 and can be bought on the day of the drawing, but sales times vary by state.
When is the next Mega Millions drawing?
Drawings are held Tuesdays and Fridays at 8 p.m. PT and can be streamed online.
The next drawing will be Tuesday.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
This story was originally published January 25, 2026 at 9:28 AM with the headline "Life-changing Mega Millions win in California. Where was lucky ticket sold?."