PORTSMOUTH, Va. (The Wave) — A Portsmouth man started the new year with an extra $100,000.
Portsmouth-based small business owner Michael Hawley was one of seven lucky winners in the Virginia Lottery’s New Year’s Millionaire Sweepstakes. Hawley earned $100,000 for his ticket at Royal Farm on Churchland Avenue in the Chesapeake.
The drawing was held on New Year’s Day, and five tickets won the grand prize of $1 million each. These tickets are purchased at Burke, Danville, Henrico, Midlothian and Woodbridge. In addition to the seven $100,000 prizes, 1,000 tickets won $500 each.
When Hawley learned he had won, he told lottery officials: “I just lost. I couldn’t believe it! For small business owners who regularly play the Virginia Lottery, the winnings were a surprise.
Proceeds from the Virginia Lottery go to K-12 education in the state. The City of Portsmouth received more than $18.1 million in K-12 education lottery funding in the last fiscal year. In FY 2022, the lottery raised a total of $779 million for K-12 education, about 10 percent of Virginia’s total K-12 school budget.
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