‘Something' told man to buy VA lottery ticket. It was a life-changing decision
Gary Hensley reports he was in search of coffee and gas, and playing the lottery wasn't on his to-do list, according to a June 26 news release.
But then 'his eyes fell on a Virginia Lottery scratcher ticket,' officials said.
It was a $30 Bonus Star Millions ticket and the odds of winning a top prize are 1 in 489,600.
'Something just told me to buy it!' he told lottery officials.
Hensley says he waited until he got home to start scratching off the ticket and discovered it was worth $1 million.
'I about had a heart attack!' he told lottery officials. 'I didn't get much sleep that night!'
Hensley went to get his prize June 12, and it came with a choice: Take a lesser lump sum check for $500,000, or get the $1 million divided up into annual payments over 30 years.
Hensley took the check.
He stands as the first person to win a top prize in the Bonus Star Millions game, beating odds of 1 in 489,600, lottery officials said.
The ticket was purchased at the 7-Eleven on Seminole Trail in Charlottesville, which is also Hensley's hometown, officials said.
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