"I popped to the shop to buy chocolate milk for my kids… and walked away with $1million

A DAD who popped to the shop to buy chocolate milk for his children could not believe his luck after winning $1million on a lottery scratchcard.

Dennis Willoughby, from Virginia, USA, was stunned when he realised he had scooped the top prize after deciding to try his luck.

The lucky dad said he stopped at the 7-Eleven store in the state capital city Richmond to buy chocolate milk for his children.

He was given the choice of having the full $1million amount paid in yearly instalments for the next 30 years - or a one-off lump sum of $640,205 - and he opted for the cash.

Virginia Lottery said: “Dennis Willoughby just wanted to buy some chocolate milk for his kids. That’s why he went to the 7-Eleven at 9700 Jeff Davis Highway in Richmond. While he was there, the North Chesterfield man also happened to pick up a USD 1,000,000 Platinum Jackpot ticket from the Virginia Lottery.

“When he scratched the ticket, it turned out to be a top prize winner. He won the choice of either the full USD 1 million prize in annual payments over 30 years, or a one-time cash option of USD 640,205 before taxes. He chose the cash option.

“The odds of winning the top prize in this game are 1 in 1,632,000. The odds of winning any prize are 1 in 3.92. The store receives a USD 10,000 bonus from the Virginia Lottery for selling the winning ticket.”

He was the second top-prize winner for the Platinum Jackpot game, meaning a $1million ticket is still in circulation.