The Mega Millions multi-state lottery had a big win earlier this month in Austin, Texas.
One lucky Texas lottery player won $1 million in the popular multi-state lottery game.
This was the second-highest prize in the Mega Millions, awarded for guessing the five white balls correctly though not the red MegaBall.
Player hits 1-in-12.6 million long shot
Texas is one of 45 states that participate in the Mega Millions along with the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands. The Megaplier option is available in all available locations except California.
The winning numbers were 10-15-20-66-68, with the player missing the MegaBall number of 18.
Mega Millions tickets cost $2 to play. The odds of guessing the five white balls correctly are 1 in 12,607,306.
The drawing took place on Nov. 5, although the winner only came forward last week. The Megaplier for that night’s drawing was 2X, meaning any player who purchased the Megaplier option for an extra $1 would have doubled the prize.
However, the Austin player did not choose the Megaplier option, meaning the player won $1 million rather than $2 million.
Texas was the first state to introduce the Megaplier for Mega Millions players.
According to CBS Austin, the anonymous winner purchased the winning ticket at the Lamar Grocery on S. Lamar Blvd. in Austin, just a couple of miles from the South Congress shopping district.
Time to go shopping at SoCo!
Mega Millions, Powerball jackpots continue to increase
While an Austin player winning a $1 million prize is exciting, it pales in comparison to the $15 million-plus won by three TX players over the span of just a few days in Jul.
Since the $1 million win in Austin earlier this month, no one has claimed the Mega Millions jackpot. The last winner took the top prize in late Oct. for $108 million.
The current prize for guessing all five white balls plus the Megaball has now grown back to $83 million. The chance of achieving that feat is 1 in 302,575,350.
Meanwhile, the Powerball jackpot, in which Texans can also participate has increased to $224 million. The last time anyone snared the top prize in Powerball was October 2 when a California player won a nearly $700 million prize.
On that same drawing in early October, a Houston player won $20.75 million in the Powerball.
Texas Lottery’s role in supporting state programs
It’s nice to know that much of the sales revenue brought in from playing the lottery is used to fund state programs. In TX, much of the funding goes towards various veterans’ assistance and educational programs.
Since 1997, the TX Lottery has given more than $25.9 billion to the Foundation School Fund.
More than 90% of the yearly funding for veterans’ assistance programs comes from special scratch games.
In 2020, those games provided $22.2 million to the Texas Veterans Commission. Since 2009, the lottery has donated $145 million to programs that serve veterans in the state.
