He Picked Up a Lucky Penny In a Parking Lot. Moments Later, He Won $1 Million in the Lottery. Tim Clougherty was in for a surprise when he scratched off his $10,000-a-month winning lottery ticket.
By Emily Rella
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
If you find a coin on the ground heads up, it's long been considered good luck.
And for one Virginia man who found a lucky penny and then used it to scratch off a winning lottery ticket, it looks like the adage might be true.
Tim Clougherty of Accomack County, Virginia, purchased a lottery ticket on April 29, 2024, that offered the prize of $10,000 a month for 10 years when he noticed a penny in the parking lot of the Mini Mart.
Related: Virginia Woman Hits $1 Million Lottery Jackpot — Her Second Win That Week: 'I'm in Shock'
When he arrived back home, Clougherty used the penny to scratch off the numbers on the ticket. When he did, he won the grand prize.
"It took a week to really start sinking in," Clougherty told lottery officials, per the Virginia lottery.
Instead of choosing the monthly payout, he took a lump sum in cash, which amounted to $1,028,000 before taxes.
The $10,000-a-month game first hit stands on January 2 and costs each player $20 per ticket to buy.
According to the Virginia lottery, the odds of winning the game's top prize is 1 in 612,000, with two of the top prizes still remaining.
Last year, a Virginia woman hit the $1 million jackpot lottery for the jackpot after already winning a $500,000 online prize earlier in the same week.
Related: 'I Am Blessed': Woman Finds $100,000 Forgotten Powerball Ticket While 'Going Through Papers'
"I'm in shock!" Jennifer Minton told lottery officials about the win last November. "I'm in disbelief!"
The Virginia Lottery raised an estimated $867 million last year, all of which went to K-12 education in the state.
