A Virginia man who thought he won $600 with a lottery scratch-off ticket received quite the surprise when lottery staffers told him he'd actually won quite a bit more.
Annandale resident Jose Flores Velasquez had won $1 million, to be exact.
Velasquez went to a Virginia Lottery customer service center in Prince William County in August to claim his $600 prize when staffers gave him the news: He was the second top-prize winner in the 20X the Money lottery draw, which featured "prizes ranging from $10 all the way up to $1 million," the Virginia Lottery announced last week.
The chances of Velasquez winning a $1 million prize in the 20X the Money game was 1 in 1,754,400. The chances of winning a prize at all as part of the game is 1 in 3.65.
He bought the $10 ticket at a Safeway supermarket in Annandale, about 15 miles west of Washington, D.C., when he stopped to pick up some soft drinks after work.
When given the choice to receive the $1 million prize over 30 years or a one-time cash payment of $759,878 before taxes, Velasquez opted for the one-time payment.
He said he plans on using the money "to take care of his family and possibly start his own business."
The Safeway supermarket that sold Velasquez the winning ticket will also receive a $10,000 bonus, the Virginia Lottery said.
There is still one unclaimed top prize ticket in the 20X the Money game, which had three winning tickets for a $1 million prize.
