$1 Million Lottery Prize Awarded To Spotsylvania Woman

SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY, VA — A woman from Spotsylvania County won a $1 million grand prize from the Virginia Lottery last month. The woman, Karen Deskins, won the top prize through a drawing in the Commonwealth Second Chance promotion.

Deskins previously purchased a non-winning scratcher and opted in for the second chance promotion. Her ticket was selected in a drawing that was held on Tuesday, June 29.

Deskins had the option to receive $1 million dollars through installments over the course of 30 years, or receive a one-time cash payment of $640,205, before taxes. She chose the cash option, according to the Virginia Lottery.

When Deskins got off work on Tuesday, June 29, there was an email waiting for her in her inbox. "I think I read it like 30 times," Deskins told lottery officials. The email was a notification from the Virginia Lottery informing her that she had won the grand prize. Deskins' entry was chosen from 178,493 entries in the drawing.

See also:

Woodbridge Man Wins $115K Jackpot From Virginia Lottery

While she claimed her prize, Deskins imparted some advice to other prospective lottery players. "If there’s an extra chance on the ticket, fill it out, put it in, because you never know," she said. "You already spent the money on a ticket, might as well."

The Commonwealth Scratcher ticket is still available, along with the second chance promotion that made Karen Deskins much richer. The odds of winning the top prize are 1 in 1,060,800. The odds of winning any prize are 1 in 2.92.

See also: Manassas Woman Wins $1M in March's Powerball Drawing

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, the Virginia Council on Problem Gaming provides resources to help. Their hotline can be reached at 1-888-532-3500. More resources are also available from the National Council on Problem Gambling.

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