Suffolk man wins $1M in lottery

Published 12:02 am Thursday, December 16, 2021

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Alvin Copeland is no stranger to winning big in the Virginia Lottery.

In June of 2002, he matched all five numbers in the Cash 5 game to win $100,000. Now, the Suffolk man has matched five numbers in a different game to win a much larger prize: $1 million.

Mr. Copeland won big in the Dec. 4 Cash4Life drawing with a ticket he bought at the 7-Eleven on Centerbrooke Lane in Suffolk. By matching the first five winning numbers, he won the choice of either $1,000 every week for the rest of his life or the one-time cash option of $1 million.

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“I feel delicious right now!” he told Lottery officials as he waited for his big check.

The winning numbers in that drawing were 8-11-25-45-48, and the Cash Ball number was 2. The only number he missed on his ticket was the Cash Ball number. He said he selected numbers he likes to play.

He’s not the only winner. The retailer receives a $10,000 bonus from the Virginia Lottery for selling the winning ticket.

Mr. Copeland said he intends to use his winnings to take care of his family.

Cash4Life is played in Virginia, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Maryland, Georgia and Indiana. It features a top prize of $1,000 per day for life and a second prize of $1,000 per week for life. Drawings are held nightly at 9 p.m. Each play costs $2. The odds of winning the top prize are 1 in 21.8 million.