Two longtime neighbors win $3 million after sharing a spontaneous lottery ticket
Williamsburg, Virginia – What started as a casual conversation between longtime neighbors turned into a life-changing moment. Thomas Bell and Lorraine Dimuccio have lived near each other for over twenty years. One afternoon, they ran into each other at a happy hour and started chatting. Somewhere between the small talk and shared laughs, they made a spontaneous decision—to team up and buy a Mega Millions lottery ticket.
That single choice turned out to be golden. Thomas purchased the ticket from a 7-Eleven at 1800 Jamestown Road in James City County. When the numbers were drawn on March 7, the ticket matched the first five: 8-20-48-58-60. The only number they missed was the Mega Ball—number 7.
But here’s where things took a twist. Normally, matching the first five numbers means a $1 million win. However, they had spent one extra dollar on the Megaplier option, which tripled their prize. That decision boosted their winnings to a jaw-dropping $3 million.
“I couldn’t believe it!” Lorraine told Virginia Lottery officials.
“I was stunned!” Thomas added.
Their ticket was the only one in Virginia to match the first five numbers that night and just one of two in the entire country. Had they matched that final Mega Ball number, they would’ve walked away with a $233 million jackpot.
Mega Millions draws happen every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m., but winning is no easy feat. The odds of matching the first five numbers are 1 in 12,607,306. To match all six? A staggering 1 in 302,575,350.
