Oletha Etheridge of Gloucester has beaten the odds twice with the Virginia Lottery. In her 20s, she won $25,000, and now decades later, she has struck gold again with a $100,000-a-year-for-10-years prize. Etheridge opted for the one-time cash payout of $816,000 before taxes and is sharing the prize with her two daughters.
Winning Ticket in Gloucester
Etheridge purchased her lucky ticket, “$100,000 a Year,” at the Food Lion located at 7465 Hargett Boulevard in Gloucester. After realizing she won, she called her daughter and joked, “Are you sitting down? ‘Cause I have something to tell you.”
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Prize Options Explained
The top prize gave her two choices: annual payments of $100,000 for 10 years or a single cash option of $816,000 before taxes. Etheridge decided on the lump sum and split it equally with her daughters, Taletha and Takema.
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Scratch-Off Game Details
The “$100,000 a Year” scratcher (game #2343) is one of dozens of games offered by the Virginia Lottery. It carries prizes ranging from $20 to $1 million. So far, two top prizes have been claimed, leaving one still unclaimed. The odds of winning the top prize are 1 in 612,000, while the odds of winning any prize are 1 in 2.91…