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Maryland man wins $7 million top prize after buying scratcher at Virginia 7-Eleven

Eric Austin, a Maryland man on his way to work in Alexandria, stopped by a 7-Eleven to pick up some scratch-off tickets before he started his day at the office. Little did he know, he would be ending the day as a winner of the game's $7 million top prize. (Photo: The Virginia Lottery)

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (WRIC) — Eric Austin, a Maryland man on his way to work in Alexandria, stopped by a 7-Eleven to pick up some scratch-off tickets before he started his day at the office. Little did he know, he would be ending the day as a winner of the game’s $7 million top prize.

Once Austin picked up the Virginia Lottery tickets, he took them back to his office to scratch off while he had breakfast. Shortly after, Austin realized he had won the top prize in the 100X The Money game.

“It didn’t register at first,” he told Virginia Lottery officials as he claimed his prize. “I had to look at it a couple of times!”

Austin bought his winning ticket at the 7-Eleven at 504 John Carlyle Street in Alexandria.

The 100X The Money game has prizes ranging from $30 to the $7 million top prize. Austin claimed the second $7 top prize, so there is one more out there ready to be claimed. The odds of winning the top prize are 1 in 2,611,200.

When given the choice of a lower denomination one-time cash prize, or the $7 million spread out in annual payments over 30 years, Austin chose the one-time cash prize.