ROANOKE, Va. – “We were high-fiving in the store,” said Jeff Journell. “I’ve always wondered what it would feel like, and it felt wonderful!”
I’d imagine wonderful is an understatement when you buy a $30 lottery ticket and win the $1 million grand prize.
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Jeff Journell was just outside downtown Roanoke, near A-1 Food Mart on South Jefferson Street, when he stopped in and bought a Millionaire Maker ticket.
When he scratched it, he realized that he’d won $1 million!
Journell, who’s retired, told Lottery officials he has no immediate plans for his winnings.
That was the 10th and final top prize for the game.
For you numbers people out there, the odds of winning the top prize in this game were 1 in 244,800, while the odds of winning any prize were 1 in 2.78.
Journell decided to go with the one-time cash option, so he received $601,684 before taxes.
For selling the winning ticket, the Roanoke store receives a $10,000 bonus from the Virginia Lottery.