KHN – A Virginia woman’s initial disappointment transformed into a life-changing experience when a mistake at a petrol station counter resulted in her winning a $2 million lottery jackpot.
Kelly Lindsay stopped at the Race Way petrol station in Carrollton, Virginia, to purchase a scratch-off ticket. However, the cashier accidentally issued her a Money Blitz ticket rather than the one she wanted. Lindsay was first upset, but she decided to give it a shot—and was shocked to realize she had won the game’s $2 million top prize.
Her resentment rapidly evaporated as she reveled in her unexpected victory. She joked with lottery officials, “I got over not being happy about it.” She was then left with another difficult decision: take the entire $2 million in annual payments over 30 years or accept a lump sum of $1.25 million. She picked the latter.
The odds of winning the Money Blitz jackpot are staggering: 1 in 1,142,400. With Lindsay’s victory, only one grand prize remains unclaimed. Proceeds from Virginia’s lottery are used to subsidize K-12 education in the state.
Lindsay quickly claimed her riches, but a record-breaking Mega Millions winner in New Jersey chose a different method. The unidentified winner of a $1.128 billion jackpot waited nine months to come forward.
In March 2024, the fortunate ticket was purchased at a ShopRite in Neptune, New Jersey. The winning numbers—7, 11, 22, 29, 38, and Gold Mega Ball 4—provided the highest lottery prize in New Jersey history and the ninth largest in the United States.
New Jersey law gives lottery winners a full year to receive their prize. As a bonus, the Neptune ShopRite earned $30,000 for selling the winning ticket. Richard Saker, CEO of Saker ShopRites, indicated that the funds would be donated to the local food bank FulFill.
Reference: Lottery luck: Virginia woman wins $2M by accident; here’s what happened