DATE: Sunday, November 23, 1997             TAG: 9711230015

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B2   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS 

DATELINE: RICHMOND                          LENGTH:   39 lines

WINNING TICKET FOR BIG GAME'S $15 MILLION SOLD IN RICHMOND

The Virginia Lottery said Saturday a winning ticket for $15 million Big Game jackpot was sold in north Richmond.

It is the first time a winning ticket for the multistate game has been sold in Virginia, lottery spokesman Ed Scarborough said.

The holder of the winning ticket will receive after-tax payments of $510,000 a year for 20 years, and Zip Mart, the store that sold the winning ticket, will receive a $10,000 bonus for selling the ticket.

Zip Mart store manager Humayun Kazi said it's the first time the Rocky Mount, N.C.-based convenience store chain has sold a jackpot winner for either the Big Game or the Virginia Lotto game.

``I hope it's going to increase my sales. I've been telling people about (the jackpot) all day. I'm a good salesman - I never stop,'' Kazi said.

Scarborough said the winner could show up to collect the prize at the start of the business day Monday, but has 180 days to collect the money.

He said lottery officials will likely ask the winner to attend a news conference once the prize is claimed. The state lottery director has the discretion to waive a news conference under certain conditions.

``There's a lot of public and media interest in this. A lot of people in Virginia have been playing the Big Game since it started in September 1996,'' he said.

There were no other winners of the top prize in the five other states that participate in the game. Three players won $150,000, and 25 players - including two in Virginia - won $5,000.

The six states participating in the Big Game are Virginia, Massachusetts, Michigan, Illinois, Georgia and Maryland.

The numbers drawn Friday night were 2, 5, 16, 18, 42, and the Big Money Ball was 11.

The estimated Big Game jackpot for Friday is $5 million. KEYWORDS: LOTTERIES VIRGINIA WINNERS

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