South Boston, VA – Russell Gomes, a resident of South Boston, won the $500,000 top prize in the Virginia Lottery’s Magnificent 7s scratcher game.
Gomes purchased the winning ticket at the Food Lion located at 3346 Halifax Road after getting off work and buying some chicken. He scratched the ticket in the parking lot and discovered his win.
“I really didn’t believe it!” he told Lottery officials when redeeming his ticket. “It feels great!”
Gomes, who drives a tractor-trailer, has no immediate plans for his winnings other than paying for a previously planned vacation.
Magnificent 7s is one of the many scratcher games offered by the Virginia Lottery, with prizes ranging from $20 to $500,000. This is the first top prize claimed in this game, leaving two top prizes still unclaimed. The odds of winning the top prize are 1 in 612,000, while the odds of winning any prize are 1 in 5.9.