Powerball

This Virginia woman accidentally bought a Powerball ticket. She then won $1 million

The CVS that sold her the ticket also received a $10,000 prize from the Virginia Lottery

NBC Universal, Inc.

Sometimes a mistake can end up being the best decision you ever made.

That is what happened to a woman in Virginia when she mistakenly bought a Powerball ticket instead of another jackpot ticket last month.

According to the Virginia Lottery, Miriam Long went to a CVS pharmacy in Blacksburg in March to buy a ticket for the estimated $893 million Mega Millions jackpot.

However, she "accidentally" pushed the wrong button, and the machine gave her a Powerball Easy Pick ticket.

Her numbers, 10-17-20-39-44, resulted in matching the first five winning numbers of the March 18 Powerball drawing. The only number she missed was the Powerball, which was 16.

โ€œThe lesson didnโ€™t really go according to plan.โ€ Math professor Nicholas Kapoor bought a Powerball ticket to demonstrate how improbable it is to win the lottery โ€“ and then he won $100,000. Hereโ€™s what he wants you to know about playing the Powerball.

โ€œMy heart was pounding!โ€ she told lottery officials. โ€œItโ€™s overwhelming!โ€

Nevertheless, her mistake ended up netting her a $1 million cash prize.

โ€œItโ€™s the best mistake of my life!โ€ she said.

The CVS that sold her the ticket also received a $10,000 prize from the Virginia Lottery, officials said in a statement.

Powerball is played in 45 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are held at 10:59 p.m. EST at the Florida Lottery studio in Tallahassee.

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