Mom wakes husband after stunning $244K lottery win
Ferrum, VA – In the quiet moments before her children woke up, a Virginia mother placed a $2 online lottery bet that quickly turned into a $244,938 jackpot, prompting her to wake her husband to confirm what she thought could not be real.
Kourtney Tracey of Ferrum said she was playing the Virginia Lottery’s Savanna Adventures online instant game when the win appeared on her screen. The early morning timing led to immediate disbelief.
Tracey said she took multiple screenshots of the winning display and woke her husband to show him the result. The prize was confirmed as a progressive jackpot from the game.
Savanna Adventures is part of the Virginia Lottery’s online instant games, available through its mobile app and website. The jackpot increases as more players participate, and the odds of winning any prize in the game are 1 in 4.76.
Tracey, who works as a contract painter, said she plans to use the winnings for travel.
Virginia Lottery players must be at least 18 years old and physically located within the state to participate in online games. In addition to instant games, players can purchase tickets for Powerball, Mega Millions, Millionaire for Life, Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5 and Cash 5 with EZ Match online.
Lottery proceeds support public education across the state. Franklin County, where Tracey lives, received more than $4.8 million in Lottery funding for K-12 education during the last fiscal year. In Fiscal Year 2025, the Virginia Lottery generated more than $901 million for K-12 education, accounting for about 10 percent of the state’s total K-12 school budget.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Key Points
- Ferrum woman wins $244,938 jackpot from $2 online lottery game
- Winner discovered prize early in the morning before her children woke up
- Virginia Lottery contributed over $901 million to K-12 education in Fiscal Year 2025