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His brother won $1 million lottery prize. Then, he scored even bigger jackpot in VA

A man played the Virginia lottery — and discovered “luck runs in the family.”

Years after his brother scored $1 million, Danny Mudd won an even bigger prize for himself. He said he “couldn’t believe it” when he realized his scratch-off ticket was worth $3 million, according to the Virginia Lottery.

“I was like, ‘No, this can’t be,’” he told lottery officials in a Sept. 22 news release.

Mudd won his jackpot prize after stopping at a Sheetz convenience store in Sterling, about 30 miles west of Washington, D.C. While at the business’ Windmill Parc Drive location, he spent $20 on a ticket for the 50X The Money scratch-off game, officials said.

It turns out, the ticket beat the odds to score big. Mudd opted against receiving annual installments and took his prize in a one-time payment, which amounted to $1.875 million before taxes.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” Mudd said in the release. “I’m just smiling!”

The moment of elation comes after Mudd’s brother, Terry, celebrated a Virginia Lottery win in 2019, officials wrote.

It’s not the first time a family has had a lucky streak. In North Carolina, a teacher won a small prize just days before her husband bought a ticket that was worth much more, McClatchy News reported in 2020.

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