Siblings who play lottery together win huge prize in Virginia. ‘Couldn’t believe it’
A Virginia woman didn’t believe her brother when he told her they won seven figures on a lottery ticket.
“He told me we won, and I said, ‘Come on, it’s not April Fools’ Day,’” Mary Crider told Virginia Lottery officials.
But the Danville siblings, who often team up to play the Mega Millions game when the jackpot gets above $200 million, really had won a $1 million prize, the Virginia Lottery said in a news release Friday, Sept. 30.
One of the tickets they purchased at a convenience store in Danville matched the first five numbers pulled in the Sept. 20 drawing, according to the lottery. They missed only the Mega Ball number.
The chances of matching the first five numbers are 1 in 12,607,306, the lottery said.
“I had to look at the ticket a couple of times because I couldn’t believe it,” Jesse Perkins, Crider’s brother, said, according to the lottery’s news release.
The pair used Easy Pick, allowing a computer to generate the numbers on their ticket at random, the lottery said.
Their ticket was one of two in the country to win a $1 million prize in the drawing, according to the lottery. No one claimed the roughly $277 million jackpot.
The siblings will split the $1 million prize, the lottery said. Perkins said he plans to donate some of his winnings to charity, and Crider said she wants to use some of hers to travel.
The store where they purchased their ticket will receive a $10,000 bonus, according to the lottery.
Danville is about 70 miles southeast of Roanoke, near the Virginia-North Carolina state line.
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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