A Virginia woman who mistakenly purchased a Powerball ticket last month won $1 million in the March 18 drawing.
Miriam Long, of Christiansburg, intended to purchase a Mega Millions ticket when she used the Virginia Lottery machine at the CVS at 1775 South Main St. in Blacksburg. The jackpot for the Mega Millions game was $893 million, and it got her attention.
Luck was on her side, it seems, when she accidentally hit the button for a Powerball ticket instead.
That “accidental” ticket ended up matching the first five winning numbers in the Powerball drawing to win $1 million.
The winning numbers were 10-17-20-39-44, and the Powerball number was 16.
The only number she didn’t match was the Powerball number. She used easy pick and allowed the computer to randomly select the numbers on her ticket.
“It’s the best mistake of my life,” Long told lottery officials.
When she discovered how much she’d won, Long said she couldn’t believe it.
“My heart was pounding,” she said. “It’s overwhelming.”
Powerball drawings are held at 10:59 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
The odds of matching all six numbers to win the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million. The overall odds of winning any Powerball prize are 1 in 25.
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Crystal Graham
