Woman wins $1M jackpot after buying lottery ticket by mistake
A woman in Virginia is $1 million richer thanks to a self-described mistake.
"It's the best mistake of my life," Miriam Long told Virginia Lottery officials.
Long, who lives near Roanoke, Virginia, said she went to a local CVS in March to purchase a ticket for Mega Millions, which at the time had a nearly $900 million jackpot.
While using a Virginia Lottery machine to purchase a Mega Millions ticket, Long said she accidentally pressed a button for a Powerball ticket instead.
Luckily for Long, the Powerball ticket she mistakenly purchased matched the first five winning numbers in the Powerball drawing on March 18, which had an estimated $656 million jackpot.
The five matching numbers -- which were selected by the computer -- resulted in Long winning $1 million, according to the Virginia Lottery.
"My heart was pounding," Long said of her win. "It's overwhelming."
According to the Powerball website, Long was one of five $1 million winners across the country in the March 18 drawing.
There were no jackpot winners and one person in Florida was a $2 million winner.
The current Powerball jackpot is an estimated $31 million. The next drawing will take place on Wednesday.
