Virginia lottery player thought jackpot email was a scam

• The lottery player chose the winning numbers completely randomly
• Initially, the fortunate woman didn't get excited as she thought the emails that notified her of the win were fraudulent
• Virginia Lottery's Cash 5 game costs $1 per play and grants a chance for a range of prizes, including a rolling jackpot

A lucky woman in Virginia, who won a six-figure jackpot, couldn't believe the win was real after she was notified via email.

On Tuesday this week, the Virginia Lottery released details regarding the winner who scored a big fortune from Cash 5.

Random numbers bring life-changing prize to lucky Cash 5 player

The incredibly fortunate Norfolk woman decided to try her luck by purchasing a ticket for the popular game online from the Virginia Lottery.

Currently, the Lottery provides options for purchasing tickets via its website, valottery.com as well as its official Lottery app.

The winner tried her luck with a string of numbers, 9-17-32-40-45, which were chosen completely randomly.

To her surprise, those numbers were the winning ones for the Cash 5's drawing on February 28.

The Cash 5 with EZ Match drawing brought the Norfolk woman the top prize of $383,307.

While she scored the jackpot and recently visited the lottery to claim her big win, the woman did not confirm if she had any plans regarding her newfound fortune.

Considering that the winner purchased her ticket online, she was notified about the win by the Lottery via email. But the winner initially didn't believe the series of emails she received.

"I didn't get excited because I didn't know if it was really true," she said while speaking to an official from the Lottery.

The Lottery's Cash 5 with EZ Match game features a rolling jackpot that starts at $200,000.

Undoubtedly, this was the woman's lucky day, considering that the odds of matching all five numbers for the game's top prize are 1 in 1,221,759.

Cash 5 drawings take place every day of the week

The cost per play for Cash 5 is $1. Players have a shot at six plays via a single pay slip. The EZ Match option costs an extra $1 per play.

Lottery players need to select and match five numbers between 1 and 45 or use the Easy Pick option which automatically selects random numbers.

The game's drawings take place seven days per week, granting players a chance to win a range of prizes.

At the time of writing, Cash 5's jackpot is estimated at $562,000.

Currently, profits of the Virginia Lottery benefit the state's K-12 education programs.

For the fiscal year 2024, K-12 education programs across Virginia have benefited from more than $934m raised by the Virginia Lottery. This sum represents close to 10% of the total K-12 school budget in the state.

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