The joke about a Virginian guy winning the lotto turned out to be much more than that.
According to a press release from the Virginia Lotto, Newport News resident Charles Smith made the joke while saying goodbye to his wife before a trip: "I'll call you when I win the lottery."
A few days later, Smith won the $227,037 prize in the "Cash 5 with EZ Match" game of the Virginia Lottery.
After winning, he informed the state lottery, "My wife still believes I'm kidding!" Not surprisingly, the Virginia Lottery estimates that the odds of winning the jackpot are barely 1 in 749,398.
Based on the birthdays of his family members, Smith selected his lucky numbers, 4-6-8-12-15.
Other than paying certain expenses, he stated he doesn't have any definite plans for the six-figure earnings.