Salem (Virginia) man wins $1 million

Drawing Date: 6/12/2015

June 22, 2015 - When Tom Cook looked at his computer screen and realized he’d won $1 million in Mega Millions, his reaction, in a word, was “disbelief.”

The Salem, Va., man matched the first five numbers in the June 12 Mega Millions drawing. He used Easy Pick and allowed the computer to randomly select the numbers on his ticket.

He bought his winning ticket at Kroger, 1925 Electric Road in Salem. On June 22 he returned to the store to receive his check from the Virginia Lottery. The store received a $10,000 bonus from the Lottery for selling the winning ticket.

The winning numbers were 1-40-42-56-62, and the Mega Ball number was 2. The only number he failed to match was the Mega Ball number. Had he matched that final number, the Mega Ball number, he would have won a jackpot estimated at $26 million.

Mr. Cook said he has no immediate plans for his winnings, and he doesn’t intend to let the win change him. He said there will be “no real lifestyle change” for him.

Mega Millions is hot in Virginia. Mr. Cook is the fourth person in the Commonwealth to win at least $1 million in Mega Millions within just the past two months.