Imagine falling into an open manhole and discovering oodles of buried treasure underground.
Or going on a school field trip and gaining superpowers from a radioactive spider bite.
Or trying to buy a Mega Millions ticket and accidentally purchasing a $1 million-winning Powerball entry.
Two of those scenarios are complete fantasy, while the latter is the honest truth for one lucky Virginia woman.
A million-dollar mistake
Virginia is one of just a handful of states that allows online purchase of lottery tickets. Most tickets, however, are sold at retail outlets in the commonwealth.
Miriam Long ventured to her local CVS to purchase a Mega Millions ticket. The jackpot was nearing the $1 billion mark, so Long wanted to try her luck at the $893 million prize.
But instead of getting a Mega Millions ticket, Long hit the Powerball button by accident, entering her in the March 18 drawing. She selected Easy Pick, which randomly selected the numbers 10-17-20-39-44 and a Powerball number.
That accident turned into a massive windfall for Long. Her ticket matched all five numbers, missing only the Powerball, to win $1 million.
The CVS that sold the winning ticket received a $10,000 bonus from the VA Lottery.
On discovering she won, Long recalls thinking, “My heart was pounding. … It’s overwhelming!” She also told Virginia Lottery officials that it was “the best mistake of my life!”
Powerball jackpot at $1.3 billion and rising
While Long collected $1 million, the Powerball jackpot continues to rise. As of this writing, the jackpot is at a whopping $1.30 billion.
The next draw is Saturday, April 6, at 11:00 p.m.
Meanwhile, Mega Millions recently awarded a jackpot of over $1 billion and reset. It now sits at $67 million.
