A woman has won a huge lottery jackpot with her first-ever ticket purchase from a local 7-Eleven - and has vowed to use it for an amazing cause.
Katelynne Berland of Virginia confirmed she picked up a winning ticket when her mother asked her to pick up some lottery tickets from a 7-Eleven. It was at the Ottis Street, Yorktown-based store she bought a winning ticket which bagged her $50,000. One of the tickets purchased while at the store matched up with April 14's prize draw. Matching all five numbers, 2, 9, 4, 2 and 3, Katelynne confirmed her win and will use the cash to pay for her sister's college education.
Virginia's lottery website confirmed the odds of winning with an all five numbers match was 1 in 100,000. Pick 5 tickets are sold for either $0.50 or $1, and players can opt to either select "any order," "exact order," or a combination of the two. Katelynne's ticket was an exact order match and netted her the top prize.
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The Pick 5 is drawn twice a day, at 1.59pm and at 11pm, according to the lotto's website. The Virginia Lottery was established in 1987 after residents voted in favour of a state-operated lottery. A statement from Virginia Lottery has been released regarding Katelynne's win.
It read: "Ms. Berland lives in York County, which received more than $5.3 million in Lottery funds for K-12 education last fiscal year." During the 2023 fiscal year, the Virginia Lottery had sales of $4.6 billion. A total of $3.5billion was distributed to lottery winners and retailers.
Other wins in the US last month saw a $1.326billion win which will be used to treat the winner's cancer. Cheng and Duanpen Saephan and their friend, Laiza Chao were announced as the winners of the lottery earlier this week.
"I am grateful for the lottery and how I have been blessed," he told the publication. "I am able to provide for my family and my health. ... My life has been changed. Now, I can bless my family and hire a good doctor for myself."
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The Laotian recounted how he told his dear friend about the prize they had won, telling KOIN that he called her on the way to work and asked her what she was doing. When she told him that she, too, was on her way to work, he told her she wouldn't have to go again, as they had just won the lottery.
Before they could claim the ticket, the winners had to undergo a vetting process, it was reported, which included security measures that included checking surveillance footage at the store where the winning ticket was sold to ensure that the winnings were given to the correct person.
Plaid Pantry CEO and President Jonathan Polonsky said in a statement to the Oregon Lottery, "Plaid Pantry is thrilled to learn that one of our 104 Oregon stores sold the $1.3 billion dollar Powerball ticket. This store is one of our newest and most loved stores. Proceeds from the Oregon Lottery fund many programs that benefit everyone in the state, and we've been a proud partner with the Oregon Lottery since the very beginning."
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