Six Fortune Cookies Lead Fairfax County Man To A $2 Million Powerball Prize

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — Numbers collected from six fortune cookies brought good fortune to a Fairfax County man who won a $2 million Powerball prize, according to the Virginia Lottery.

The man selected one number from each fortune cookie when buying an online ticket for the Aug. 1 drawing. His ticket matched the first five winning numbers but missed the Powerball.

Matching the first five numbers normally carries a $1 million prize. The winner, however, had paid an additional dollar for the Power Play option, doubling his winnings to $2 million.

Winner Remains Anonymous

The winning numbers were 6, 17, 27, 48 and 50. The Powerball was 5.

The winner chose not to disclose his identity. Virginia law allows lottery winners to claim prizes anonymously, meaning the Virginia Lottery does not publicly identify them.

Players can buy tickets online for Powerball and several other Virginia Lottery games. Online players must be at least 18 and physically located in Virginia when making a purchase.

Powerball drawings take place at 10:59 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. The odds of matching all six numbers and winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million. The overall odds of winning any Powerball prize are 1 in 25.

Lottery Profits Support Virginia Schools

Virginia Lottery profits are directed to K-12 public education. Fairfax County received more than $54.1 million in lottery funding for schools during the last fiscal year, according to the Lottery.

Statewide, the Lottery raised more than $914 million for K-12 education in fiscal 2026. That represented approximately 10% of Virginia’s total K-12 school budget.

Also See ...

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Information about funding distributed to individual school districts is available on the Virginia Lottery’s Giving Back page.

The Virginia Lottery encourages players to gamble responsibly. Anyone concerned about a gambling problem can call or text the Virginia Problem Gambling Helpline at 888-532-3500 or use its online chat service. Assistance is available 24 hours a day.