Man gives lottery game a shot because of his dad — and wins big. ‘Stop playing!’
Inspired to play the lottery by his dad, a Virginia man purchased a $5 ticket, officials said.
It led to a big prize — and praise for his father.
Curtis Whitehead won a $100,000 top prize from a Bingo Multiplier scratcher ticket, the Virginia Lottery said in an April 4 news release.
Not having much experience playing the lottery, Whitehead wasn’t sure what his ticket meant, but then he showed it to his dad, whom he was visiting, lottery officials said.
“Son, that’s $100,00!” his dad told him, according to the lottery.
Whitehead couldn’t believe it.
“Stop playing!” he told his dad.
When he went to collect his prize, he told lottery officials his dad is his “good luck charm,” the lottery said.
Whitehead bought his ticket at a gas station in Franklin, about a 40-mile drive southwest from Norfolk, according to the lottery.
The odds of winning a top prize in the Bingo Multiplier game are 1 in 1,387,200 and the odds of winning any prize are 1 in 3.53, lottery officials said.
The game started in October 2024 and has one top prize ticket remaining, according to lottery officials.
This story was originally published April 4, 2025 at 3:28 PM with the headline "Man gives lottery game a shot because of his dad — and wins big. ‘Stop playing!’."
