Unless you are a lottery enthusiast, it is easy to get confused between the Mega Millions and Powerball lotteries. Both are multi-state lotteries that have the largest jackpots in the nation.
This confusion for one man helped his wife win $169 million, according to the New York Daily News.
Nancy Viola asked her husband Vito Viola, a NYPD sergeant, to purchase Powerball tickets when the lottery's drawing reached epic levels in January. Instead, the sergeant purchased a Mega Millions ticket.
Even though the couple did not cash in on the $1.5 billion Powerball jackpot, the winning numbers of 11, 39, 51, 57, 75 and a Mega Ball 2 led to a $169 million payout.
After months of staying quiet, the couple came forward this week.
"I started with the Mega ball," she told the Daily News. "I checked all the other numbers. They all matched, and can you imagine what that was like? I thought I was having a heart attack. There was a little screaming."
The couple opted to take a one-time lump sum of $64,796,160, the Daily News reported. Quite a nest egg for a public servant and his 37-year-old wife.
What will the couple do with the money?
“We want to let it all sink in," she said. "Anything is possible. Maybe a convertible. Everything is so new still. It has to just settle in, you know, see what happens. Buy a big house? Maybe in the future. It's a lot of money."
