Young was checking his numbers online when the mix-up occurred: “I went right past it,” he told Virginia Lottery officials. “I saw it and didn’t recognise it. I thought, ‘Didn’t win again.’” Luckily, the retired engineer returned to the site to recheck his numbers and was greeted with a rather pleasant surprise. “Things changed right then!” he laughed. Young noticed that his numbers, 8, 24, 25, 26, 30 and the Mega Ball 7, matched those that had been drawn and he was one of two jackpot winners in the draw.
The lucky lottery fan, who shared his top prize win with a ticket holder from Georgia, had purchased his winning ticket from a 7-Eleven store on Limestone Drive in Gainesville prior to the draw and triumphantly returned to the same location three months later to pick up his cheque for $7.5 million. Young, who opted to take the one-time cash option of over $5.1 million, waited some time to collect his winnings while he met with financial experts who advised him on how to cope with the large influx of cash. The Virginian is the ninth Mega Millions winner from the state and wasn’t the only one to profit from the incredible win. The Gainesville branch of 7-Eleven also received a $50,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.
This Friday’s Mega Millions jackpot is worth an estimated $47 million, a prize that lottery fans certainly will not want to miss. To be in with a chance of winning this incredible prize, Mega Millions ticket are available to purchase online around the world or from any authorised retailer in participating states and jurisdictions. Good luck, and don’t forget to double check those tickets!
