ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, September 10, 1996 TAG: 9609100067
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: DUBLIN
SOURCE: KATHY LOAN STAFF WRITER
LOTTO'S WINNING ticket for Saturday's $5.8 million jackpot was sold in the New River Valley.
Lady Luck, the elusive Virginia Lottery mascot cursed in these parts for her seeming favoritism for producing winning Lotto tickets in Richmond, Hampton Roads and other urban areas, smiled on the New River Valley Saturday.
The winning ticket for Saturday's $5.8million jackpot was sold at the Shop-Eez near Dublin.
The owners of the winning ticket had not come forward as of Monday afternoon, but store owner Harold Chrisley positively beamed through the telephone.
"We know who it is, we're just not telling," Chrisley said.
He described the winners as a couple he believed were only occasional players.
"She bought one ticket Saturday. I know she's not a regular player," Chrisley said.
While the Roanoke Valley and Montgomery County have had winners in the past, Chrisley said he believed it was the first time a winning Lotto ticket had been sold in Pulaski County.
In 1992, a Pulaski County man won a $2.4million jackpot, but he bought the ticket in Petersburg.
Ed Scarborough, a lottery spokesman, said the tide seems to be turning against perceived constant wins in Hampton Roads and Richmond. Several recent winners have come from Southwest Virginia, in places such as Norton, Richlands and Wise.
"We do have fewer winners in that part of the state, mainly because the player pool is smaller," he said.
Scarborough said the Roanoke regional lottery office had received a telephone call from someone claiming to have the winning ticket, and the person is expected to come forward soon.
Chrisley and Scarborough speculated the couple may be consulting a lawyer or financial adviser.
That's something the lottery encourages for winners who suddenly find themselves with a windfall and no history of making investment decisions.
The $5.8million "is not a large-tier game [in Lotto terms], but certainly it's a healthy sum of money for someone to have to manage," Scarborough said.
While lottery officials are happy for every winner, "it really is different when you see someone come forward who has never had any access to large sums of money" and can suddenly make many of their dreams come true, he said.
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