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Lottery player says he ‘almost had a heart attack’ after winning top prize in Virginia

A Virginia man won a top prize from a lottery ticket he purchased for $5 after having dinner with his wife, lottery officials said.
A Virginia man won a top prize from a lottery ticket he purchased for $5 after having dinner with his wife, lottery officials said. Photo from Giorgio Trovato, UnSplash

A lucky Virginia lottery player won a top prize after having dinner with his wife, lottery officials said.

Jamie Howard won $100,000 from a $5 Ca$h Corners Crossword scratch-off ticket, the Virginia Lottery said in a March 14 news release.

“I almost had a heart attack,” Howard told lottery officials. “My wife thought something was wrong!”

He purchased his winning ticket from a convenience store in Richmond, lottery officials said.

The Ca$h Corners Crossword game started in December 2023 and features prizes ranging from $5 to $100,000, according to lottery officials.

One top prize remains unclaimed, the lottery said. The odds of winning a top prize are 1 in 1,224,000.

Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.

If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.

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Natalie Demaree
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Natalie Demaree is a service journalism reporter covering Mississippi for McClatchy Media. She holds a master’s in journalism from Columbia Journalism School and a bachelor’s in journalism and political science with a specialization in African and African American Studies from the University of Arkansas. 
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