Lottery player misses $87 million win by just one number — but there’s still good news
Garland Hare was preparing to head overseas for a trip at the beginning of November when he decided to grab a Mega Millions ticket.
The computer programmer headed to Salem Mini Mart, about 200 miles west of Richmond, Virginia, and used family birthdays and anniversaries to play, he told lottery officials, according to a Dec. 2 news release.
After buying a ticket for the Nov. 1 drawing, Hare left for his trip, he told officials. When he reached his destination, he learned that five of his numbers matched the drawing. He had won $1 million.
“It was very unexpected,” Hare told officials.
The only number Hare didn’t match was the Mega Ball number. Doing so would have earned him the $87 million jackpot, the lottery said.
Hare said he plans to use his winnings to pay bills and travel.
This story was originally published December 2, 2022 at 10:53 AM with the headline "Lottery player misses $87 million win by just one number — but there’s still good news."
