Mega Millions Draw Sees Texan Near-Miss the Grand Prize

This is exactly what happened in the case of a player from Texas who nearly clinched the outrageous $453 million from the event during the Friday, May 24 draw. Yet, the person who near-missed, walked away with $3 million under their belt, the Texas Lottery said.

They were only short of the Mega Ball which would have sealed the deal for them. Yet, it’s not all bad news for the rest of the lottery hopefuls. The jackpot amount has now raised to $489 million and it is set to be drawn on Tuesday, May 28.

Fortune Smiles on Two (Un)lucky Souls

Anyone who wins would have the chance to cash out the jackpot immediately in cash and settle for $226 million. An annuity payment may also be arranged, as this would mean lower tax cut, and a steady income stream over the next decades. Yet, so far, players, even small-time jackpot winners have tended to opt for the lump sum.

In the meantime, Texans had a spot of luck in the latest draw, with 63,000 tickets sold in the Lone Star State eking out a win from anything between $2 to $30,000. The winner of the $3 million prize had all five numbers right but missed the coveted Mega Ball. A ticket in California also hit the five winning numbers but only won $242,155.

Yet far more interestingly, the $3 million was not claimed as of Sunday, which could be one of the instances where a winner had forgotten about their ticket or had even misplaced it. In the United States, not claiming awards is a bit of a national sport, as the normalization of the lottery means that sometimes people buy out of habit, and not so much because they intend to win.

The person bought their ticket from the Polar Express #3 gas station on Blalock Road if this would jog their memory at all. “Once a winner comes forward and completes the claim process, the Texas Lottery will issue a news release with more information,” a Texas Lottery representative told the press.