Manassas man scratches to win $5 million prize in Virginia Lottery

When Chris Edwards discovered he’d won the $5 million top prize in the Virginia Lottery’s 50X the Money game, he didn’t jump up and down and shout. Instead, he went to where his wife was asleep, kissed her and quietly said, “I just won $5 million!,” according to a news release from the Virginia Lottery.

The Manassas man won the game’s top prize with a ticket he bought at Giant Food, 8025 Sudley Road in Manassas.

The news release said the winner had a choice of taking the full $5 million in annual payments over 30 years or a one-time cash option of $2,808,989 before taxes. He chose the cash option. The store receives a $10,000 bonus from the Virginia Lottery for selling the winning ticket.

50X the Money (game #1612) is one of dozens of games available from the Virginia Lottery. It features prizes ranging from $20 up to $5 million. This is the second top prize claimed in game #1612, which means one more has yet to be claimed. The chances of winning the top prize are 1 in 1,632,000. The odds of winning any prize in this game are 1 in 3.07.

Edwards waited two weeks before claiming his prize so that he could seek professional financial advice. He said he plans to invest and take care of his family, according to the Virginia Lottery’s news release.