Business owner thought something was wrong with the scratch-off and threw it in his truck door
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA – A Virginia Beach business owner nearly dismissed a $500,000 winning Lottery ticket after spotting a code that did not make sense to him, tossing the scratch-off into his truck door before a second look revealed he was holding the game’s top prize.
The anonymous winner purchased the Instant Cash scratch-off at the 7-Eleven at 1672 Virginia Beach Blvd. in Virginia Beach, according to the Virginia Lottery.
After scratching the ticket, the man noticed an unfamiliar three-letter code.
Thinking the result did not make sense, he tossed the ticket into the door of his truck.
But the ticket did not stay there.
The business owner later had second thoughts and decided to check it again.
That second look revealed the scratch-off he had initially discarded was worth $500,000.
The prize is the top award available in the Virginia Lottery’s Instant Cash game.
The winner chose to keep his identity private.
Virginia law allows Lottery winners to claim prizes anonymously, in which case the Virginia Lottery does not publicly disclose their identities.
Instant Cash offers prizes ranging from $20 to $500,000.
The Virginia Beach man’s ticket represents the second $500,000 top prize claimed in the game, according to the Lottery.
One more $500,000 top prize remains unclaimed.
The odds of winning the game’s $500,000 top prize are 1 in 816,000, while the overall odds of winning any prize are 1 in 5.25.
The Virginia Lottery did not disclose what the business owner plans to do with his winnings.
All Virginia Lottery profits support K-12 education across the state.
Virginia Beach received more than $39.6 million in Lottery funding for K-12 education during the last fiscal year.
Statewide, the Lottery generated more than $914 million for K-12 education in Fiscal Year 2026, accounting for approximately 10% of Virginia’s total K-12 school budget.
For this Virginia Beach business owner, a ticket that briefly ended up tossed into his truck door turned out to be worth half a million dollars.
Key Points
- A Virginia Beach business owner won the $500,000 top prize on an Instant Cash scratch-off.
- He initially tossed the ticket into his truck door after seeing a code he did not understand, then checked it again and discovered the win.
- The winning ticket was purchased at the 7-Eleven at 1672 Virginia Beach Blvd., and one $500,000 top prize remains in the game.
