IMPERIAL BEACH (CNS) - Someone who bought a Mega Millions lottery ticket at Tommy's Tobacco in Imperial Beach is $308,573 richer Wednesday, having landed all but the Mega number in the latest drawing.
The ticket is one of 47 tickets, including nine in California, that were sold in the multi-state game with five correct numbers but missing the Mega number.
The numbers drawn Tuesday night were 9, 19, 34, 44, 51 and Mega number 24. The estimated jackpot was $363 million, the third largest in the history of the game, which began in 1996. Only the $390 million million jackpot for the March 6, 2007, drawing and the $380 million jackpot for the Jan. 4, 2011, drawing have been larger.
The drawing was the 18th since the last time a ticket with all six numbers was sold.
The odds of matching all five numbers and the Mega number is one in 175,711,536, according to the Mega Millions website. The overall chance of winning a prize is 1 in 40.
The estimated jackpot for Friday's drawing will grow to $476 million, the largest in the history of the game.
The Mega Millions game is played in 41 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.