Politics & Government
Woman's Virginia Lottery Play a Hit in Fredericksburg
All she was doing was showing a friend how to use the Virginia Lottery self-service machine. The friend won $12, but she won a lot more.
FREDERICKSBURG, VA — Merry Thomas's friend and co-worker, Julie, apparently had never played the Virginia Lottery, so Thomas volunteered to show her how to do it.
OK, she said at Giant Food, 35 Town and Country Road, when they got to the lottery self-service machine. This how you do it.
And so they did it, and Julie won $12.
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Thomas played, as well. She didn't win $12.
She won $1 million.
Find out what's happening in Fredericksburgfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"I've been freaking out since then," Thomas said this week when she claimed her winnings.
Instead of the $1 million over 30 years, Thomas chose the one-time cash option of $630, 915 before taxes.
Her game was "20x the Money." Her odds of winning the top prize: 1 in 162,800.
Photos: Virginia Lottery
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