Franklin County woman wins $1 million playing Mega Millions

Just one number away from hitting the jackpot

Credit: Virginia Lottery

FRANKLIN COUNTY, Va. – A Franklin County woman is now $1 million richer after playing Mega Millions.

Rose Ditano, who lives in Penhook, stops twice a week on her way to go grocery shopping to play Mega Millions.

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Her favorite store to buy a couple of tickets is Whistle Stop on 11729 Old Franklin Turnpike in Union Hall.

She and her husband Roland weren't quite prepared when he checked the winning numbers in the May 19 drawing.

“Each time he read a number I said, ‘Yeah,’” she recalled. “By the time we got to the fifth number we were kind of in shock.”

The ticket matched the first five numbers, missing only the Mega Ball number, to win the $1 million prize. On Tuesday, she returned to the store to receive the check from the Virginia Lottery.

The store received a $10,000 bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket.

The winning numbers were 1-4-5-24-30, and the Mega Ball number was 1. She selected her numbers using family birthdays. If her ticket had matched all six numbers, she would have won a jackpot estimated at $43 million.

Ditano, who is retired, said she has no immediate plans for her winnings except to pay off the mortgage. 

“I’m not the type who goes nuts,” she said.

The odds of winning the $1 million prize in Mega Millions are 1 in 18,492,204.