$1M Lottery Winner Bought Ticket For Change for Taxi

TRIANGLE, VA — All Felecia Hall wanted was some change for a taxi, so she could go to lunch with her son. So she stopped by Connie’s Market in Triangle and bought a Golden Spades Scratcher ticket from the Virginia Lottery.

It wasn’t until later, after she’d sat down and ordered lunch in the restaurant, that she discovered that ticket she'd bought on a whim was worth $1 million.

“I thought I was going to have a heart attack right there in the restaurant,” Hall said. “I couldn’t breathe.”

What's more, Hall said she had won $110 in the same game just the previous night.

Hall was given the choice of taking the full $1-million prize in payments over 30 years, or a one-time cash option of $561,798 before taxes. Hall chose the cash option.

In addition, the store, Connie's Triangle, receives a $10,000 bonus from the Lottery for selling the winning ticket.

Hall works as a surgical technician and lives in Triangle. She said she intends to use her winnings to take care of her family, lottery officials said.

“It just seems a little surreal,” she said as she claimed her prize.

According to the Virginia Lottery, Golden Spades features prizes ranging from $10 up to $1 million.

"Hall is the first $1-million winner to claim, which means two million-dollar tickets remain unclaimed," lottery officials said on the Virginia Lottery website.

Get more information on www.valottery.com.