New Parents Win $1 Million with Purchase of Lottery Ticket in Kingstowne

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA -- When Andy Shreeve of Alexandria scratched to win the $1 million top prize in the Virginia Lottery’s Golden Spades game, there was one thing that he and his wife Valery knew for sure about the ticket. “There’s no way this is right!” he later told the Lottery. “This is fake,” she agreed.

But they were wrong. They really had won.

Andy bought the ticket at Kingstowne Sunoco, 5800 Kingstowne Center Drive in Fairfax County. He said he doesn’t play the lottery often, but he was attracted to this game because he likes to play the card game Spades.
They had the choice of taking the full $1 million prize over 30 years or a one-time cash option of $561,798 before taxes. They chose the cash option. In addition, the store receives a $10,000 bonus from the Lottery for selling the winning ticket.

But this isn’t the biggest prize the couple has seen recently. Five months ago, they became parents. Andy said this lottery prize will go to their daughter’s education.

Golden Spades features prizes ranging from $10 up to $1 million. This is the second top-prize ticket claimed, which means one more million-dollar ticket remains unclaimed. The chances of winning the top prize in this game are 1 in 1,305,600. The chances of winning any prize are 1 in 3.4.

Operating on revenue from the sale of Lottery products, the Virginia Lottery generated a record $588 million for Virginia’s public schools in Fiscal Year 2016.

PHOTO of Andy and Valery Shreeve courtesy of Virginia Lottery