VIRGINIA BEACH — When Alfred Cross read the numbers, he couldn’t believe his eyes – he had just scratched a 20X the Money ticket from the Virginia Lottery, and won the game’s top prize of $1 million.
“I thought, ‘Wait, that can’t be right,’” Cross, a retired postal worker, said. “I thought it was a misprint.”
The Virginia Beach man had just scratched the winning lottery ticket at Walmart Neighborhood Market on Holland Road in Virginia Beach, according to a news release from Virginia Lottery.
Cross had a choice of taking the full $1 million prize over 30 years or a one-time cash option of $610,874 before taxes. He chose the cash option.
The store receives a $10,000 bonus from the Virginia Lottery for selling the winning ticket, according to Virginia Lottery.
Cross said he has no immediate plans for his winnings.
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The 20X the Money scratcher features prizes ranging from $10 to $1 million. Cross is the first person to claim the top prize in the 20X scratcher, which means three more remain unclaimed, lottery officials said.
The chances of winning the $1 million top prize in this game are 1 in 1,224,000. The chances of winning any prize in this game are 1 in 3.51.
Cross bought his winning ticket in Virginia Beach, which received more than $28.6 million in lottery funds for K-12 education last fiscal year, according to Virginia Lottery.
For information and a complete list of lottery funds to Virginia school districts, click here.
