CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. — A Virginia woman is $1 million richer after making a mistake at a CVS in Blacksburg, Virginia.
Miriam Long intended to buy a Mega Millions ticket while at the convenience store on South Main Street. She had seen the Mega Millions jackpot was worth more than $800 million and she wanted to get into the game.
However, when she went to purchase the ticket at a Virginia Lottery machine at the CVS, she accidentally hit the button for a Powerball ticket.
That accidental ticket ended up matching the first five winning numbers in the March 18 Powerball drawing, meaning Long's mistake ended up being a $1 million win.
“It’s the best mistake of my life!” Long told Lottery officials.
Long used the Easy Pick option, allowing the computer to randomly select the numbers. The only number she didn't match was the Powerball number.
In addition to Long's win, the CVS she purchased the ticket will also receive a $10,000 bonus from the Virginia Lottery.
“My heart was pounding!” Long said about the moment she realized her mistake had been a winning ticket. “It’s overwhelming!”
The Virginia Lottery says 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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