Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 6, 1990 TAG: 9004060942
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A14 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Just like Beagle and Shamy, most people do not win a big prize. However, the thrill of thinking about beating the odds and winning a large sum of money provides most players with their money's worth of entertainment.
There are those who do beat the odds. The Lotto game, now in its 10th week, has already made three Virginians millionaires. These are people who would not be millionaires if they had not spent a few dollars for a long shot at the Virginia Lottery. We have sold $20 million lotto tickets and awarded nearly $15 million in prizes. Tina Saunders of Roanoke County took home $1.7 million as our second Lotto winner.
We also awarded five people million-dollar prizes during the Second Chance Drawing. Another local player, Tynessia Wright of Bedford, is on that list of lottery millionaires.
In their heart of hearts, Beagle and Shamy know that this short-term experiment proves nothing, whether they won big or won nothing at all. I hope when their assignment is over, they and your readers will have gotten more than $200 worth of entertainment.
At the very least, the Roanoke Times & World-News will have contributed approximately $70 to the state's General Fund to fund dozens of capital building projects, which include more than $20 million for improvements to Virginia Tech, Radford University, Virginia Western Community College and Smith Mountain Lake State Park.
We at the lottery are all hoping that Ruby the tiger comes out the big winner.
\ KENNETH W. THORSON\ Director, State Lottery Department\ RICHMOND
Editor's note: Since this letter was written, a fourth Lotto player has become a millionaire winner.
by CNB