Lottery player hits jackpot, then goes to the movies. ‘I had a hard time concentrating’

Michael Henry decided to play a Virginia lottery online game before heading out to see a Friday night movie.

He didn’t let a nearly $3 million win derail his plans, he told lottery officials.

Henry hit the jackpot in the Palace of Dragons online game, the Virginia Lottery said in a Feb. 23 news release. His prize came out to $2,953,832.

He still went to the movies.

“I had a hard time concentrating, but I enjoyed it,” he told lottery officials.

The Glen Allen man said he didn’t have plans for his winnings right away.

“I was dumbfounded for a minute,” he said. “I thought, ‘This is not real.’”

He hit the progressive jackpot shortly before 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 5, according to the Virginia Lottery. He often relaxes by playing online games on his device, lottery officials said.

“Mr. Henry lives in Henrico County, which received more than $30.7 million in Lottery funds for K-12 education last fiscal year,” according to the lottery organization. “In Fiscal Year 2023, the Lottery raised more than $867 million for K-12 education, making up approximately 10 percent of Virginia’s total K-12 school budget.”

Glen Allen is about 15 miles northwest of downtown Richmond.

This story was originally published February 26, 2024 at 2:41 PM with the headline "Lottery player hits jackpot, then goes to the movies. ‘I had a hard time concentrating’."