Mega Millions ticket sat in drawer for a month. Then Virginia woman ‘screamed a little’
$5,000 Welcome Bonus
A nearly forgotten Mega Millions ticket netted a Virginia woman a life-changing prize.
“My stomach had butterflies,” Melena Hill told Virginia Lottery officials of the moment she realized her $3 million win. “I screamed a little bit!”
The winning ticket had been sitting in a drawer in her nightstand for more than a month before Hill thought to check it, according to officials. She bought it for the Jan. 9 drawing at a Murphy USA in Suffolk.
The winning numbers were 12, 15, 32, 33, 53 and gold Mega Ball 24, according to the Mega Millions website.
Hill matched five white balls and won $1 million. She bought the Megaplier option for an extra dollar, tripling her prize to $3 million, officials said.
The woman didn’t say how she plans to spend her winnings.
Two tickets sold in California also won $1 million in the Jan. 9 drawing, results show.
Suffolk is about about an 80-mile drive southeast from Richmond.
What to know about Mega Millions
To score a jackpot in the Mega Millions, a player must match all five white balls and the gold Mega Ball.
The odds of scoring a jackpot prize are 1 in 302,575,350.
Tickets cost $2 and can be bought on the day of the drawing, but sales times vary by state.
Drawings are held Tuesdays and Fridays at 11 p.m. ET and can be streamed online.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.
If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.
