A Virginia Lottery scratcher player is the second multimillion-dollar winner of the Lucky 7s Cash Blowout game.
The top prize for the scratch-off game is $2,777,777. Two of those prizes have now been awarded, and just one more remains.
VA Lottery officials, who oversee all lottery games in the commonwealth, recently announced its latest winner: Carla Payne of Stafford.
Payne purchased her ticket at Onville Kwik Shop (115 Onville Road) in Stafford, which is located in northern Virginia.
Virginia Lottery scratcher winner opts for cash
After winning the Lucky 7s Cash Blowout, Payne had to make a decision.
Would she take the $2,777,777 prize in annual payments over 30 years, or a one-time cash option of $1,671,346 before taxes? She opted for the one-time payment.
According to the VA Lottery’s announcement, Payne was her usual quiet self when she realized she’d won.
“Normally, when I get very quiet, the hubby knows I won something. I get loud if I don’t win. … I almost passed out.”
About Lucky 7s Cash Blowout
Lucky 7s Cash Blowout scratcher tickets cost $20 each, and prizes range from $20 to the grand prizes of nearly $3 million.
It’s one of nearly a dozen current Virginia Lottery scratch-off games that offer top prizes of $1 million or more.
According to VALottery.com, other top Lucky 7s Cash Blowout prizes are dwindling. The game’s second-largest prize is $77,777, and two of three have already been claimed. Additionally, half of the $7,777 prizes – 10 of 20 – have also been claimed.
According to the VA Lottery, the odds of winning the top prize of $2,777,777 are 1 in 979,200.
Virginia Lottery pays out $104 million in July
Thanks in part to the first Lucky 7s Cash Blowout winner, the Virginia Lottery dished out nine figures in player winnings in July.
On July 8, Michelle Rivera, also of Stafford, claimed a $2,777,777 grand prize to help bolster the monthly tally.
With a boost from its new online instant games, the VA Lottery issued $104 million in total winnings across the state last month. Lottery officials said the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic put a dent in sales, but they reported a strong rebound beginning in May.
In addition to the Lucky 7s Cash Blowout grand prize, the lottery paid out large prizes in July with a Print ‘n Play Rolling Jackpot ($454,791) and Cash4Life draw game ($1,000/week for life), among others.
