Man jokes with coworkers about winning lottery at lunch — then hits life-changing prize
A man was joking with his coworkers about winning the lottery when they went out to lunch, and he bought four tickets in Virginia.
He hit the jackpot.
George Hurt won the final top prize of $1 million in the Virginia Millions scratch-off game, the Virginia Lottery said in an Oct. 22 news release.
“I am proof that prayers do get answered,” he told lottery officials.
The Roanoke man beat the 1-in-612,000 odds to land the third and last remaining jackpot prize, ending the game that debuted in November 2023, according to the Virginia Lottery. The deadline to claim any Virginia Millions prize is April 2, 2025.
He chose to receive his prize as a one-time payout of $571,000, according to lottery officials.
The 604 Minute Market in Roanoke where he bought the ticket received a $10,000 bonus Oct. 21.
Roanoke is in southwest Virginia in the Blue Ridge Mountains range.
This story was originally published October 22, 2024 at 3:03 PM with the headline "Man jokes with coworkers about winning lottery at lunch — then hits life-changing prize."