PORTSMOUTH, Va. — A small business owner from Portsmouth is one of the winner's in the Virginia Lottery’s New Year’s Millionaire Raffle.
Michael Hawley regularly plays the lottery, and his luck was certainly with him when he got a ticket on New Year's Day.
Hawley was one of seven people who won $100,000 after he bought a ticket from a Royal Farms store in Chesapeake.
“I just lost it. I couldn’t believe it," Hawley told Virginia Lottery officials.
According to the lottery's website, there were six other $100,000 winning tickets sold across the state. There were five million-dollar winning tickets sold in Virginia, as well.
Virginia Lottery profits go to K-12 education in the state. Last fiscal year, Portsmouth received more than $18.1 million in lottery funds.
"In Fiscal Year 2022, the Lottery raised more than $779 million for K-12 education, making up approximately 10 percent of Virginia’s total K-12 school budget," according to the lottery's website.
