Stephens City woman nets Virginia Lottery win of nearly $153,000 with online app

A Stephens City woman recently won nearly $153,000 from the Virginia Lottery without leaving home to buy a ticket.

Marlen Sandoval said she won the jackpot in the Virginia Lottery’s progressive jackpot game Monopoly simply by using her cell phone.   “It was just a regular Sunday at home, and I decided to check the app.”  That decision made the Frederick County resident $152,608.

MONOPOLY Progressive Jackpots is one of many online instant games available on the Virginia Lottery’s website, valottery.com. The website states that progressive game jackpots grow as more people play. The odds of winning any prize in the Monopoly game are 1 in 4.68.

Ms. Sandoval said she has no immediate plans for her winnings, telling lottery officials, “I still can’t believe it!”

The Virginia Lottery, authorized by Virginia voters in a 1987 referendum, generates over $2.13 million per day for Virginia’s K-12 public schools. In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, lottery ticket purchasers generated over $779 million in funding for public education.

“Lottery funds traditionally make up roughly ten percent of Virginia’s overall K-12 education budget and support vital programs in every school district in the Commonwealth,” said Secretary of Education Aimee Rogstad Guidera.  “These funds are indispensable to our efforts to ensure every student in the Commonwealth—regardless of zip code—is prepared for success in life.”