Two Alexandria women are celebrating big wins from the Virginia Lottery, with combined winnings of $883,065 in separate games this month.
Denise Freeman snagged a $500,000 top prize in the Money Multiplier scratcher game on March 5. She bought her lucky ticket at BJ’s on S. Van Dorn Street in Alexandria.
“I was shocked,” Freeman told lottery officials when claiming her prize.
The Money Multiplier game, which offered prizes from $10 to $500,000, ended with Freeman claiming the final top prize. The odds of winning the top prize were 1 in 775,200.
Freeman, who’s close to retirement, says the winnings will come in handy.
In another stroke of luck, Victoria Richards won a $383,065 jackpot in the Cash 5 with EZ Match drawing on January 25.
Richards’ mom, a big lottery fan, called her early in the morning to share the exciting news.
“It’s three o’clock in the morning!” Richards told lottery officials. “Why are you screaming?”
“We won! We won!” her mother reportedly replied.
Richards bought her winning ticket at a 7-Eleven on Reynolds Street in Alexandria. The lucky numbers were 8-10-15-31-34.
Cash 5 with EZ Match has a rolling jackpot that starts at $200,000. The odds of matching all five numbers are 1 in 1,221,759.
All Virginia Lottery profits go to K-12 education in the state. Alexandria received over $5.2 million in lottery funds for K-12 education last fiscal year, according to Virginia Lottery.
In Fiscal Year 2024, the Virginia Lottery says that it raised more than $934 million for K-12 education, making up about 10% of Virginia’s total K-12 school budget.
