Running an errand for another lottery player convinced her to play
By Kate Northrop
YORKTOWN, Va. — A Virginia woman won $50,000 playing Pick 5, and it was her first lottery ticket purchase ever.
A Virginia woman had some incredible beginner's luck when she decided to play the lottery for the first time and won a $50,000 Pick 5 top prize.
Katelynne Berland of Yorktown was out running errands for her mother, which included getting some lottery tickets on her behalf. Then she thought, why not try it out herself?
She decided to play the lottery for the first time and settled on the Virginia Lottery's Pick 5 draw game. She bought a lottery ticket with the numbers 2-9-4-2-3 in the April 14 day drawing at 7-Eleven on Ottis Street in Yorktown.
That ticket ended up winning the game's $50,000 top prize.
The odds of winning the top prize by matching all five winning numbers in exact order are 1 in 100,000.
Berland visited a Lottery office to claim her prize and was presented with a check on April 24. With the winnings, she plans to help her sister pay for college tuition, Berland told the Lottery.
Pick 5 was launched in Virginia last June and includes the Fireball feature offered in the Lottery's Pick 3 and Pick 4 games. For an extra $1, players can add the Fireball option to give a ticket's numbers another chance to win a prize.
Pick 5 drawings take place twice a day, first at 1:59 pm Eastern Time and then again at 11:00 pm Eastern Time. The cutoff time for the day drawing occurs daily at 1:53 pm and at 10:45 pm for the night drawing.
All Pick 5 winning numbers, prizes, and odds are published on Lottery Post's Virginia Lottery Results page right after each drawing.
(Click to display full-size in gallery)
What is it with these first time players winning big? Two stories in one week.
Time for a story of a LP member winning it big!!
I thought there was one a few months ago also. It could be an attention grab to say that. They way she is holding that fake check is a cry out for attention. A social media thing that I fail to get I guess. She's going to get 34k. Nothing to sneeze at but it can go quick. This game is basically a 10.00 pik 4. I'm not running out and trying to get an exact order 5 digit number out of 100,000 possibilities with a 50% takeout.
So jealous. She is simply happy about winning. What cry for attention????
No jealous at all. Happy for her but the game she won is just a daily numbers game on steroids. She did not have to pose with that check for such a paltry amount. They asked her to for publicity for their dead game which no one plays I believe. Pointing out that all of Virginia who have never played before can win too is a publicity stunt.
Wait, what? She won $50,000 and that's not enough to pose with a check?? Geez Louise.
And saying Pick 5 is a "dead game" is downright strange. Pick 5 numbers games are rising in popularity around the country, and are actively being added to states.
Her pose in the photo is awesome and shows how happy she is. I'm just not understanding the shade you're throwing at this young lady.
So, if you played the lottery for the 1st time and won $50K You wouldn't celebrate?
Yeah right..That's a pile of BS
It's called beginner's luck.
Now, she'll most likely be playing from now on.
I guess it is OK to believe that story that it was her first time playing along with the one yesterday and the one a few weeks ago. I guess it wouldn't be to help increase sales by non players.
What is going on with LP and all these sore losers? There seems to be more than a few of these members.
confucius say never pose with big promo check for an amount less than $5 billion.
Virginia lottery had a story on FB today. Lady meant to play MM, but 'accidentally' bought a PB ticket and won a million dollars!!
I've done that before, minus the part about winning a million from my mistake.
That is one happy Lady, congrats to her, enjoy every minute and keep the happiness going.
Really, I won a blue ribbon for a blanket I crocheted once, I was so happy and proud I showed it to everybody. I would have posed for pictures.