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‘Ugly’ lottery ticket catches man’s eye in Virginia and wins him a stunning prize

“I said, ‘Man, that ticket is ugly,’” the Maryland man told lottery officials.
“I said, ‘Man, that ticket is ugly,’” the Maryland man told lottery officials. Virginia Lottery

When Kenneth Craig stopped by a Walmart in Virginia, a lottery ticket caught his eye. It was particularly ugly, he told lottery officials — and that’s why he bought it.

Even though Craig thought the Double Diamond ticket was ugly, the prize he scratched off certainly wasn’t. Craig won a $100,000 jackpot off his ticket, lottery officials said in an Aug. 26 news release.

The Maryland man bought the ticket from the Walmart in Altavista and cashed in his prize on his birthday, when he recalled his reasoning for buying the ticket, lottery officials said.

“I said, ‘Man, that ticket is ugly,’” he told lottery officials. “I won $500 in this game before, so I continued playing.”

Craig plans to use the winnings toward retirement, he told lottery officials.

The odds of winning the top prize of $100,000 in the game are 1 in 1,632,000, according to lottery officials.

Altavista is about 45 miles southeast of Roanoke.

Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.

If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.

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This story was originally published August 29, 2022 at 5:49 PM with the headline "‘Ugly’ lottery ticket catches man’s eye in Virginia and wins him a stunning prize."

Alison Cutler
mcclatchy-newsroom
Alison Cutler is a National Real Time Reporter for the Southeast at McClatchy. She graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University and previously worked for The News Leader in Staunton, VA, a branch of USAToday.
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