Virginia Beach, Va. – When Ricky Hayes discovered he’d won the top prize in the Virginia Lottery’s $1,000,000 Cash Blast game, he couldn’t believe it. In fact, he held on to the ticket for three days before he even told anyone.
“I just stared at the ticket for 20 or 30 minutes at a time,” the Virginia Beach man said as he claimed his prize. “It’s getting more real now.”
Mr. Hayes had a choice of taking the full $1 million over 25 years or a one-time cash option of $628,000 before taxes. He chose the cash option.
He bought the winning ticket at the 7-Eleven at 5664 Indian River Road in Virginia Beach as he was on his way to work. The store received a $10,000 bonus from the Lottery for selling the winning ticket.
The diesel mechanic is the fifth player to claim the top prize in $1,000,000 Cash Blast, which means three million-dollar winning tickets remain unclaimed in that game.
