Roanoke Woman Wins $250,000 In Mega Millions

It was a long weekend for Wanda Williams of Roanoke after she discovered she had a winning Mega Millions ticket. She had to wait from Saturday morning, when she checked the winning numbers, until Virginia Lottery offices opened on Monday morning. All the while, she had a ticket worth $250,000 in her possession.

“I chewed my nails. I walked the floor,” she told Virginia Lottery officials when she claimed her prize first thing that Monday morning.

Ms. Williams won Mega Millions’ second largest prize in the August 10, 2007, drawing. Her ticket matched the first five winning numbers and only missed the Mega Ball number.

Her husband purchased the winning ticket at Sky Mart, located at 3902 Melrose Avenue in Roanoke. On the morning following the drawing, he woke her and told her the good news.

“He was picking me up and carrying me around the house,” she said. She didn’t believe him until she had a chance to look at the winning numbers herself. Then she exclaimed, “I can’t believe it. We did win!”

Ms. Williams said the winnings will help purchase a new home for retirement.

All profits from the Virginia Lottery go to K-12 public school education in the Commonwealth. In fiscal year 2006 the Lottery turned over more than $454 million for Virginia’s public schools, representing about 10 percent of state funding for public education in Virginia.