$1 Million Lottery Win Dished Out To Springfield Cook

SPRINGFIELD, VA — John Afroilan makes a living working as a cook, but recently he cooked up something bigger than he's ever done. The Springfield man scored a $1 million win in the Virginia Lottery's Instant Millionaire scratch ticket game.

"I called my wife. We’re freaking out!" he told Virginia lottery officials.

As the first top prize winner in the Virginia Lottery's Instant Millionaire, there are a few things he can now pay for. Afroilan is able to pay off his student loans and start a college fund for his 2-year-old daughter.

Afroilan bought the winning ticket at the 7-Eleven at 7320 Gambrill Road, Springfield. The store gets a $10,000 bonus from the Virginia Lottery for selling the winning ticket.

Prizes in the Instant Millionaire game typically range from $50 to $1 million. There are two other $1 million top prizes unclaimed.

For Afroilan, perhaps there isn't anything else he could compare a huge lottery win to. After all, the odds of winning $1 million are 1 in 1,224,000.

"It feels incredible! It’s like winning the lottery!" he said.