The Virginia player bought the winning ticket at a Lynchburg Sheetz and chose a $476,000 cash payout
LYNCHBURG, VA – A Bedford County man took a Virginia Lottery scratch-off home from a Lynchburg Sheetz, scratched it and found unfamiliar letters staring back at him before realizing the ticket had just delivered a $1 million top prize.
The anonymous winner purchased the In the Money ticket at Sheetz, located at 2630 Lakeside Drive in Lynchburg.
Instead of scratching the ticket at the store, he took it home.
The man initially was not sure what the letters revealed on the ticket meant, according to the Virginia Lottery. He soon discovered they signified a $1 million top-prize win.
Virginia law allows Lottery winners to claim prizes anonymously, and the Bedford County man chose to keep his identity private.
The winner was given a choice between receiving the full $1 million prize through payments over 30 years or taking a one-time cash option of $476,000 before taxes.
He selected the $476,000 cash option.
In the Money offers prizes ranging from $50 to $1 million.
The Bedford County man’s prize is the second $1 million top prize claimed in the game. One more $1 million top prize remains unclaimed, according to the Lottery.
The odds of winning a $1 million top prize are 1 in 408,000. The overall odds of winning any prize are 1 in 3.5.
The winning ticket was purchased in Lynchburg, which received more than $8.8 million in Virginia Lottery funding for K-12 education during the last fiscal year.
Statewide, the Virginia Lottery generated more than $914 million for K-12 education during Fiscal Year 2026.
Key Points
- A Bedford County man bought an In the Money scratch-off at a Lynchburg Sheetz and won a $1 million top prize.
- The winner initially did not understand the letters revealed on his ticket before realizing he had won $1 million.
- He chose the one-time $476,000 cash option before taxes instead of receiving the full prize over 30 years.