Woman won lottery with usual morning cup of coffee; ringing in new year $500K richer

Darlene Taiste
Big winner: Darlene Taiste is $500,000 richer after playing a lottery game while enjoying her usual morning cup of coffee at a convenience store. (Virginia Lottery/Virginia Lottery)

CHESAPEAKE, Va. — A woman’s trip to her regular coffee spot one morning in Virginia Beach, Virginia, made her one lucky winner.

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Darlene Taiste was heading to work and stopped at her usual coffee spot, a 7-Eleven at 2444 Nimmo Parkway in Virginia Beach, the Virginia Lottery said.

She grabbed her morning coffee and a Cash is King ticket. She scratched the ticket and learned that she won $500,000, WAVY reported.

“I was so nervous!” she told lottery officials. “I’ve never won anything that big!”

The chances of winning the $500,000 prize are 1 in 612,000, the lottery said, according to WAVY. The chances of winning any prize in the Cash is King game are 1 in 4.08.

Prizes for the game range from $30 to $500,000, the lottery said. Taiste’s win was the second top prize claimed in the game, which means there is one more that has gone unclaimed.

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