Son gives Richmond woman $5 million lotto ticket on her birthday

RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) — A Richmond woman said she received the best birthday gift ever when she scratched a lottery ticket worth $5 million on her big day.

Cynthia Cooper, who picked up her prize Wednesday, said she was elated.

Her son bought the "50X the Money" ticket for his mom at the K-Mart on Nine Mile Road in Richmond on the Fourth of July. Then his mom did not play the ticket until her birthday on the ninth.

"I was in shock," she said. "I got so nervous, I couldn't believe it was really happening."

Cooper admitted that she was so excited she jumped up and down when she realized she had won.

When asked what she told her son, she said she thanked him and told him "this is the best birthday you ever gave me."

The first thing Cooper, who is retired, has planned for the winnings is to take "a little vacation" to celebrate.

Lottery officials said Cooper is the second "50X the Money" top-prize winner to claim, which means another $5 million ticket remains unclaimed. The odds of winning the top prize are 1 in 2,448,000 while the odds of winning any prize in this game are 1 in 2.96.