He won a six-figure lottery jackpot nearly 20 years ago. His latest win is much bigger

A Virginia man won a six-figure lottery jackpot nearly 20 years ago — and now he’s taking home an even bigger prize.

Alvin Copeland won $1 million after matching the first five numbers in Cash4Life® on Dec. 4, according to the Virginia Lottery.

Copeland bought his ticket at a 7-Eleven on Centerbrooke Lane in Suffolk, lottery officials said. He had the option of choosing $1,000 per week for life or a payout of $1 million.

“I feel delicious right now!” Copeland told lottery officials as he collected his check.

The winning numbers in Dec. 4’s Cash4Life® drawing were 8-11-25-45-48 — plus a bonus Cash Ball number of 2.

After selecting numbers he likes to play, the only one Copeland missed was the Cash Ball, lottery officials said.

This wasn’t Copeland’s first lottery win. He won $100,000 after matching all five numbers in the Cash 5 game in June 2002, according to the lottery service.

The store that sold the ticket received a $10,000 commission, lottery officials said.

Copeland, who lives in Suffolk, plans to use his winnings “to take care of his family,” according to the lottery service.

The Cash4Life® game is offered in several states, including Virginia, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Maryland, Georgia and Indiana.

It consists of “a top prize of $1,000 per day for life and a second prize of $1,000 per week for life,” according to the lottery service.

Tickets cost $2 with drawings held nightly at 9 p.m. The odds of winning the top prize are 1 in 21.8 million.

This story was originally published December 15, 2021 at 4:54 PM with the headline "He won a six-figure lottery jackpot nearly 20 years ago. His latest win is much bigger."

Karina Mazhukhina

McClatchy DC

Karina Mazhukhina is a McClatchy Real-Time News Reporter. She graduated from the University of Washington and was previously a digital journalist for KOMO News, an ABC-TV affiliate in Seattle.