Black woman wins $8.7 mil. Virginia lotto

Jet, Jan 9, 1995

A Black Hopewell, VA, mother of two recently won that state's $8.7 million Lotto jackpot.

Carolyn Thomas, who said she almost threw her ticket away because an erroneous news report said the winning stub had been purchased in another area, was happy she held on to the ticket.

"I didn't hear until this morning that the winner was from Hopewell ... I thought I better check my tickets," said Thomas, who has already received her first-after taxes--payment of $294,465. "I couldn't believe it (when I won)! I'm still pinching myself to see if I'm dreaming," Thomas, who will receive 19 additional checks of $297,160 after tax payments, said she is a regular lottery player, but generally only spends a few dollars.

She says she let the computer pick the winning numbers-1-9-10-12-17-43.

Thomas previously won $250 in a Virginia lotto game and once won $13,000 in Atlantic City. Thomas said she has no specific plans for her recent winnings.

"I'm going to put it in the bank and take things slowly," said Thomas, who has a son in college and a daughter who lives at home.