Community Corner

No April Fool: Fort Belvoir Army Sergeant Discovers Lottery Win On April 1

The son of an Army recruiter thought it was an April Fool's joke when his dad won a Virginia Lottery jackpot on April 1.

An Army sergeant won a lottery jackpot despite learning of his prize on April Fools' Day.
An Army sergeant won a lottery jackpot despite learning of his prize on April Fools' Day. (Virginia Lottery)

MOUNT VERNON, VA — It was April 1, and the son of Sgt. First Class Gary Williams was skeptical his dad's lottery win was an April Fools' Day joke.

After all, Williams woke up on April 1, discovering his ticket won the $143,553 jackpot from Virginia Lottery’s Cash 5 in the March 31 drawing.

But it was no joke, as Williams got to claim his prize from the Virginia Lottery in early April. Williams, a U.S. Army recruiter on Fort Belvoir, bought his winning lottery ticket at the nearby Woodland Exxon, 8861 Richmond Highway, Alexandria, VA. The winning numbers in the March 31 drawing were 13-18-35-36-41.

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Williams plans to use his winnings to save for retirement.

Cash 5 features a rolling jackpot starting at $100,000. The Army recruiter spent an extra dollar on EZ Match, which provides a $500 prize for each randomly-generated number matching the drawing's numbers. The chances of winning the Cash 5 jackpot are 1 in 749,398.

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