Lottery player ‘cried tears of joy’ when he won a Christmas Day jackpot in Virginia
While watching a Christmas Day football game on TV, a Virginia man decided to try his luck with online lottery games — and it led him to a big jackpot win, lottery officials said.
Stanley Dawson said he “cried tears of joy,” when he realized he won a $431,457 jackpot prize in the Castle of Crystals game, the Virginia Lottery said in a Jan. 22 news release.
Dawson’s wife initially thought it was too good to be true and was weary about it being a scam, lottery officials said. But the prize was the real deal.
The lucky player plans to save some of his winnings and use some to pay bills, though his wife did remind him of a special necklace she’d been eyeing, the lottery said.
“Can I get my necklace now?” she asked.
Castle of Crystals game started in December 2024 and cost between 20 cents and $50 to play.
The overall odds of winning are 1 in 3.99 and the odds of winning a top prize vary, according to the website. The jackpot as of Jan. 23 is more than $180,000.
This story was originally published January 23, 2025 at 2:44 PM with the headline "Lottery player ‘cried tears of joy’ when he won a Christmas Day jackpot in Virginia."
