Current:Home > My"I screamed a little bit": Virginia woman wins $3 million with weeks-old Mega Millions ticket -NextFrontier Finance
"I screamed a little bit": Virginia woman wins $3 million with weeks-old Mega Millions ticket
View
Date:2025-04-12 22:33:27
Melena Hill became a millionaire overnight after she rediscovered her Mega Millions ticket in a nightstand drawer. When the Portsmouth, Virginia., woman checked the winning numbers more than five weeks after the initial drawing, she realized she won big.
"It was an amazing moment. My stomach had butterflies. I screamed a little bit!" Hill told Mega Millions.
When Hill bought the winning ticket for the January 9 drawing, she used Easy Pick, allowing six numbers to be randomly selected by the computer. Hill ended up matching the first five numbers on her ticket. Normally, Hill would have won a $1 million prize, but she spent an extra dollar for the Megaplier when she bought the ticket. That extra dollar tripled her prize to $3 million, according to Mega Millions.
Hill's winning ticket was purchased in Suffolk, Virginia. In Fiscal Year 2023, the Virginia Lottery raised more than $867 million for K-12 education, making up about 10% of the state's total K-12 school budget.
The odds of matching the first five numbers in Mega Millions are 1 in 12.6 million. The odds of matching all six numbers to win the jackpot are 1 in 302.5 million.
How to play the Mega Millions
In order to purchase a ticket, you'll have to visit your local convenience store, gas station or grocery store − and in a handful of states, you can order tickets online.
To play, you will need to pick six numbers. Five numbers will be white balls ranging from 1 to 70. The gold Mega Ball is one number between 1 and 25.
If you believe the odds are against you, ask for a "Quick Pick" or an "Easy Pick," the computer will randomly generate the numbers for you.
Players can add the "Megaplier" for $1, which can increase non-grand prize winnings by two, three, four or five times. The Megaplier is drawn before the Mega Millions numbers on Tuesday and Friday.
There are 15 Megapiler balls in all:
- 2X, five balls
- 3X, six balls
- 4X, three balls
- 5X, one ball
What are the largest Mega Millions jackpots ever?
Here are the five largest Mega Millions jackpots ever won, according to the lottery:
- $1.602 billion from one winning ticket in Florida in August 2023
- $1.537 billion from one winning ticket in October 2018 in South Carolina
- $1.35 billion from one winning ticket in January 2023 in Maine
- $1.34 billion from one winning ticket in July 2022 in Illinois
Where to buy Mega Millions tickets
Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.
You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Texas, Washington D.C. and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.
Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. Must be 18+, 21+ in AZ and 19+ in NE. Not affiliated with any State Lottery. Gambling Problem? Call 1-877-8-HOPE-NY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY); 1-800-327-5050 (MA); 1-877-MYLIMIT (OR); 1-800-981-0023 (PR); 1-800-GAMBLER (all others). Visit jackpocket.com/tos for full terms.
Contributing: Ahjané Forbes
veryGood! (623)
Related
- Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
- A decision on a major policy shift on marijuana won’t come until after the presidential election
- Mexico finds the devil is in the details with laws against gender-based attacks on women politicians
- Jax Taylor Shares He’s Been Diagnosed With Bipolar Disorder and PTSD Amid Divorce
- Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hands Down
- Venice Lookback: When ‘Joker’ took the festival, and skeptics, by surprise
- Hyundai unveils 2025 electric SUVs aiming for broader appeal with improved range, charging options
- Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
- US Open: No. 1 Jannik Sinner gets past Tommy Paul to set up a quarterfinal against Daniil Medvedev
Ranking
- See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
- Gun shops that sold weapons trafficked into Washington, DC, sued by nation’s capital and Maryland
- As students return to Columbia, the epicenter of a campus protest movement braces for disruption
- US Open: No. 1 Jannik Sinner gets past Tommy Paul to set up a quarterfinal against Daniil Medvedev
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- 4-year-old boy fatally shot inside a St. Louis house with no adults present
- Millions more Americans lacked health insurance under Trump vs. Biden
- Morgan Stickney sets record as USA swimmers flood the podium
Recommendation
Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
Labor Day shooting on Chicago suburban train kills 4, police say
Joshua Jackson Shares Rare Insight Into Bond With His and Jodie Turner-Smith's 4-Year-Old Daughter
Florida's Billy Napier dismisses criticism from 'some guy in his basement'
Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
Wrong-way crash on Georgia highway kills 3, injures 3 others
Princess Märtha Louise of Norway Marries Shaman Durek Verrett in Lavish Wedding
Sephora 24-Hour Flash Sale: 50% Off Ashley Graham's Self-Tanner, Madison LeCroy's Eye Cream & More Deals