Powerball player misses $576 million jackpot by 1 number — but still wins big prize

A Powerball player from Virginia was one number away from hitting a $576 million jackpot.

But she still won big.

Theresa Clark landed a $2 million win in the Dec. 20 Powerball drawing, the Virginia Lottery said in a Jan. 10 news release.

She beat the 1-in-11,688,053.52 odds to match all five white balls, but missed the red Powerball, according to lottery officials. Two other people in the country won $2 million in the same drawing.

When Clark learned she won, she told lottery officials she knew she had to change her plans.

“I’m going to have to cancel getting my hair done now,” she told her son.

Clark bought the ticket at a convenience store in Louisa, lottery officials said. She added a $1 Power Play to her ticket, which doubled what would have been a $1 million prize, according to the Virginia Lottery.

No one won the top prize that drawing, so the jackpot continued to grow until a winner in Michigan hit the $842 million prize on Jan. 1, Powerball announced. The first jackpot of 2024 was the fifth-highest in Powerball history, McClatchy News reported.

The estimated jackpot in the Jan. 13 Powerball drawing is $77 million.

Louisa is about 60 miles northwest of Richmond.

What to know about Powerball

To score a jackpot in the Powerball, a player must match all five white balls and the red Powerball.

The odds of scoring the jackpot prize are 1 in 292,201,338.

Tickets cost $2 and can be bought on the day of the drawing, but sales times vary by state.

Drawings are broadcast Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:59 p.m. ET and can be streamed online.

Powerball is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

This story was originally published January 11, 2024 at 12:13 PM with the headline "Powerball player misses $576 million jackpot by 1 number — but still wins big prize."