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Chesapeake man wins $1 million playing lottery

Posted at 12:06 PM, May 16, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-16 18:30:25-04

Hayward Phillips (Photo: Virginia Lottery)

CHESAPEAKE, Va. – A Chesapeake man is a million dollars richer after winning the lottery.

Tuesday afternoon, the Virginia Lottery presented Hayward Phillips with the big check for $1 million.

“It’s amazing. I still can’t believe it. There’s nothing --- it was an easy pick," Phillips told News 3.

A project superintendent for a utility contractor, Phillips was at work when he got the call.

“Needless to say work kind of came second after that. I was gonna tell my wife I thought I’d better go home and actually tell her," Phillips said.

Lottery staff told News 3 he won the Mega Millions ticket without even leaving home.

“I said ‘well let me go ‘head and go online here and buy a few tickets' and it’s very easy," Phillips said.

Phillips bought his tickets using the Virginia Lottery's "subscribe online" function to play from his home.

Lottery officials say he is the first player to win using their online services.

He plans to pay off debts and plan for retirement with the money.