An American man who joked about winning the lottery to his coworkers, didn't know he’d actually hit the jackpot minutes later. According to the Virginia Lottery, George Hurt bought four scratch-off tickets from a gas station store and one of them won him $1 million – that’s over Rs. 8 crore!
The Roanoke player was visiting a Minute Market store, located on Cloverdale Road, with two of his colleagues during their lunch break, when he decided to buy some lottery tickets. During the purchase, Hurt jokingly said he’d win the lottery.
His unserious prediction, it turns out, was right on the money. Of the four tickets that Hurt bought, one was for a Virginia Millions game, and that turned out to be life-changing.
"I am proof that prayers do get answered," the winner told the Virginia Lottery.
Lottery players in the US can choose between taking their winnings as lifetime instalments or lump-sum. Hurt’s pre-taxation amount worked out to around $571,000, which he'll receive as a one-time payment.
When asked what he was going to do with his huge prize, Hurt didn’t mention any immediate plans for the lottery win.