Nicholas Perez from Burke didn’t hit the $1 billion jackpot in the April 1 Powerball drawing, but he still walked away a millionaire. Perez won the second-tier prize of $1m by matching the first five winning numbers of the Powerball.

His winning ticket was one of only six across the country to match the first five numbers and the only one in Virginia. Perez used the Easy Pick option, allowing the computer to select his numbers randomly.

Retailers receive a bonus for selling high-tier winning tickets, and the Safeway that sold Perez’s ticket earned a $10,000 bonus from the Virginia Lottery. Mr Perez, who is employed in the construction industry, has not yet planned how he will use his winnings.

The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million, while the overall odds of winning any prize are 1 in 25.