NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – On a warm Sunday afternoon, Thomas Kirsch of Norfolk’s life changed when he decided to buy a lottery ticket.

On his way to a cookout, Mr. Kirsch stopped at the Food Lion at 2401 Collet Avenue to buy some charcoal. While there, he decided to buy a Jumbo Cash scratcher ticket from the Virginia Lottery. As it turns out, the ticket ended up winning the $300,000 top prize.

“I’m so excited!” he later told Virginia Lottery officials. “We just couldn’t believe it!”

Mr. Kirsch is the first top prize winner in the $300,000 Jumbo Cash game, which means there are two more top prizes waiting to be claimed. The chances of winning the top prize are 1 in 816,0000. The chances of winning any prize with the Jumbo Cash scratcher are 1 in 3.79.

According to the winner, his luck continued after his once-in-a-lifetime win. Earlier that afternoon it had been raining, but the rain stopped “just in time,” and the cookout was a success.

All Virginia Lottery profits go to K-12 education in Virginia. Mr. Kirsch lives in Norfolk, which received more than $31.4 million in Lottery funds for K-12 education during the last fiscal year. In 2022, Lottery funds made up approximately 10 percent of Virginia’s total K-12 school budget.

With all gaming, the Virginia Lottery reminds people to play responsibly.