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The winning numbers were 16-34-46-55-67, and the Powerball number was 14.
Gutierrez, of Centreville, said he initially selected all six of those numbers but at the last minute changed his Powerball number to 19. Had he stuck with those initial numbers, he would have won the jackpot.
Instead, he won the $1 million prize.
Gutierrez was waiting for his lunch when he decided to buy the lottery ticket that would change his life.
He had stopped into Lee’s Sandwiches in Falls Church on his way to work, and the Powerball jackpot was an estimated $1.55 billion.
As he waited for his chicken sandwich and coffee, Guitierrez spotted a Virginia Lottery machine and decided to buy a ticket for that night’s drawing.
The next day, when he stopped at the same location on his way to work, the store was buzzing with excitement. A ticket bought there had won $1 million in the previous night’s drawing.
“Maybe it’s me,” Mr. Gutierrez thought.
Turns out, he was right.
Gutierrez is a small business owner. He said he may use part of his winnings to expand his business.
Lee’s Sandwiches, where he bought the winning ticket, is located at 3037 Annandale Road in Falls Church.
Powerball drawings are held at 10:59 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. The odds of matching all six numbers to win the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million. The overall odds of winning any Powerball prize are 1 in 25.
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