Maria Roldan’s son gave her the gift of a lifetime when he handed over his Powerball ticket.
He didn’t realize it would lead to a $1 million win.
The man got his ticket from a 7-Eleven in Dunn Loring, but he wouldn’t be able to catch the Powerball drawing because he was going on vacation, according to an April 22 news release from the Virginia Lottery.
He gifted his mother the ticket, and when the March 11 drawing rolled around, she won the highest prize of the night, according to Powerball.
The Vienna woman narrowly missed the $534 million jackpot, but she was the only winner in the country to match all five white balls, the lottery organization said.
But she didn’t realize at the time that she had won $1 million, according to lottery officials. Roldan and her son learned how much the ticket was worth when they visited a Virginia Lottery customer service center.
“You are kidding, right?” her son asked.
Vienna is a town in Fairfax County, which is part of the western Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
What to know about Powerball
To score a jackpot in the Powerball, a player must match all five white balls and the red Powerball.
The odds of scoring the jackpot prize are 1 in 292,201,338.
Tickets can be bought on the day of the drawing, but sales times and price vary by state.
Drawings are broadcast Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:59 p.m. ET and can be streamed online.
Powerball is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico 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.
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