Mega Millions player tells his wife ‘we may have won something.’ They hit huge prize

When a Mega Millions player checked his numbers, he told his wife “we may have won something” in Virginia.

James Holmes narrowly missed the $62 million jackpot, but he still hit a second-tier prize of $1 million in the Sept. 24 Mega Millions drawing, the Virginia Lottery said Oct. 31.

Holmes bought his lucky ticket at a BP gas station convenience store in Chesterfield, which also sold a $1 million Mega Millions ticket in 2014, according to lottery officials. The store received a $10,000 bonus on Oct. 31 for selling Holmes’ ticket.

Holmes was one of two Virginia residents who defied the 1-in-12,607,306 odds of matching all five white balls but missing the Mega Ball in the Sept. 24 drawing, according to Mega Millions results.

He told lottery officials he didn’t have plans for his winnings right away.

Chesterfield is about an 18-mile drive southwest of downtown Richmond.

The estimated jackpot in the Nov. 1 Mega Millions drawing is $281 million.

What to know about Mega Millions

To score the 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. Officials have announced they will cost $5 starting in April.

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.

This story was originally published November 1, 2024 at 10:46 AM with the headline "Mega Millions player tells his wife ‘we may have won something.’ They hit huge prize."