Lottery player wins second top prize in a year — this time with ‘heartwarming twist’

A longtime lottery player used a “heartwarming” strategy to win Washington, D.C.’s top prize twice in nearly one year, lottery officials said.

Vattel Jackson first won a top DC 5 cash prize of $25,000 on June 21, 2023, DC Lottery officials said in a news release. Then he returned to the DC Lottery Prize Center to claim the same prize June 18, 2024 — after playing his aunt’s birthday on her actual birthday.

“I was in shock!” he told officials.

“Now, $50,000 richer, Jackson says he’s buying land,” officials said. Jackson did not disclose where he planned to buy property.

He started playing the DC Lottery in 2007 and has been a “dedicated player ever since,” officials said.

He bought his 2023 winning ticket at a 7-Eleven and purchased the most recent winning ticket 5 miles away at Jocelyn’s Market in the Brightwood neighborhood, officials said.

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