Skip to Content

He joked about winning the lottery. Then he won over $200,000

By Zoe Sottile, CNN

A Virginia man’s quip about winning the lottery turned out to be a lot more than just a joke.

Charles Smith, a resident of Newport News, was saying goodbye to his wife before a trip when he joked, “I’ll call you when I win the lottery,” according to a news release from the Virginia Lottery.

A few days later, Smith won the $227,037 jackpot in the Virginia Lottery’s “Cash 5 with EZ Match” game.

“My wife still thinks I’m joking!” he told the state lottery after his win. That’s not surprising: The chances of winning the jackpot are just 1 in 749,398, according to the Virginia Lottery.

Smith chose his lucky numbers, 4-6-8-12-15, based on his family members’ birthdays.

He doesn’t have any specific plans in mind for the six-figure winnings, he said — other than paying off some bills.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

Article Topic Follows: CNN - National

Jump to comments ↓

CNN Newsource

BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION

News Channel 3 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation.

Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here

If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here.

Skip to content