Maryland Man Makes a Lucky Stop in Reston

Earlier this summer, Maryland resident Kenneth Gifford, working in the Reston area, made a quick stop to grab a snack at the 7-Eleven at 11846 Sunrise Valley Drive in Reston. He also bought a couple of The Venetian Scratcher tickets from the Virginia Lottery. One of those tickets turned out to be a $150,000 winner.

“I scratched the tickets in the car and had to pinch myself,” he said. Gifford, who is from Glen Burnie, Md., said he hopes to buy a new truck with his winnings.

The Venetian is one of dozens of games offered by the Virginia Lottery. Gifford is the third player to claim the top prize, which means two $150,000 tickets are still unclaimed.

The Virginia Lottery points out that $1.3 million per day is generated by ticket sales for Virginia’s K-12 public schools. Operating entirely on revenue from the sale of Lottery products, the Virginia Lottery generated more than $486.5 million for Virginia’s public schools in Fiscal Year 2013.

PHOTO of lottery winner Kenneth Gifford courtesy of Virginia Lottery