Mechanic’s lunch break leads to a life-changing Virginia lottery win. ‘Complete shock’
A Virginia mechanic bought a lottery ticket on his way home for lunch and won a life-changing prize, officials said.
Richard Aldridge bought a $20 Diamond Spectacular ticket and won a top prize worth $1 million, the Virginia Lottery said in a March 5 news release.
“I was in shock, complete shock,” he told lottery officials.
When Aldridge showed his wife the winning ticket, which he bought at a grocery store in Roanoke, she had the same reaction, he told the lottery.
“I showed the ticket to my wife, and she was in complete shock too,” he told lottery officials.
The Diamond Spectacular game started in July 2024 and features prizes ranging from $20 to $1 million, according to the lottery.
One top prize ticket is left, and the odds of winning are 1 in 612,000. The overall odds of winning are 1 in 3.18, lottery officials said.
Roanoke is about a 190-mile drive southwest from Richmond.
This story was originally published March 6, 2025 at 10:36 AM with the headline "Mechanic’s lunch break leads to a life-changing Virginia lottery win. ‘Complete shock’."
