Mega Millions Player Turns 5x Ticket into a $5M Payday

A lucky Mega Millions player has narrowly missed the game’s $403 million jackpot, only to win $5 million instead. According to the official announcement, the lucky winner was a player in New York. New Yorker Wins $5M from Mega Millions Mega Millions has had yet another major win as a lucky player in New York just scooped up a Match 5 prize from the game. This happened after they matched all winning numbers except the gold Mega Ball. Since their ticket’s random multiplier was 5x, the player won a whopping $5 million. For reference, the winning numbers for the drawing that took place last Friday, October 16, were 2, 15, 31, 41, and 68, plus the gold Mega Ball 1. The estimated jackpot at the time was $403 million with a cash option of $162.1 million. In addition to the Match 5 prize in New York, over 10 players won various five-figure sums after matching four white numbers plus the gold Mega Ball. The biggest of these was a $50,000 payout. Here’s a breakdown of all tier-three wins: Six players won $20,000 each (2x multiplier) Four players won $30,000 each (3x multiplier) One player won $50,000 (5x multiplier) Since the Mega Millions survived the Friday drawing, it continued to grow and has reached an estimated $413 million for the next drawing. Players will get another shot at the jackpot this Tuesday, October 20. If anyone manages to win the top prize, they will be presented with a choice between the annuity option for the full sum or the one-time lump sum of $170.3 million. Players Have Been Winning Big The previous Mega Millions had no Match 5 winners, although it saw seven players snatch five-figure sums of up to $40,000. Earlier drawings made up for that as they recorded several winners of seven-figure prizes. Recently, a New Jersey player and a player in Florida matched all five winning numbers to win $2 million and $3 million, respectively. Previously, a player in Wisconsin won a $4 million Match 5 prize. In any case, it’s been a while since a jackpot win has happened. The most recent one occurred in July when a player in Florida won a staggering $800 million.