News writer
When it comes to picking lottery numbers, birthdays and computer-generated quick picks are usually the popular options. But for one game in Virginia, players often pick the same number for the whole draw - and this time, they got lucky.
4-4-4-4 for Pick 4
On the night drawing of Virginia’s Pick 4 on June 3, the combination 4-4-4-4 was drawn.
According to the Virginia Lottery, quadruple numbers are popular among Pick 4 players. They also tend to attract the highest wagers, as Pick 4 involves different buy-in tiers.
Players wagered $438,939, according to the Virginia Lottery. Winners took home $7.9 million, which is 18 times the amount that was spent on Pick 4 tickets.
The odds of a player matching all four numbers in their correct order are one in 10,000.
The winners have not been identified by the Virginia Lottery as of press time.
How does Pick 4 work?
Pick 4 numbers are drawn twice a day—once at 1:59 p.m. Eastern and again at 11 p.m. Eastern every day of the week. This amounts to 14 chances to win every week, making it a very popular game among Virginia lottery lovers.
First, players pick their wager amount, which is either $1 or $.50.
Those who wager $1 and get all four numbers receive $5,000.
There are a few play types to choose from, each with different odds and outcomes. If you play Exact Order, for example, you’re putting your wager on every single number being drawn in the order you chose. Any Order allows players to bet on the numbers, but the order can be completely different. With Combo, players bet Exact Order on any combination of a four-digit number, and these are just some of the options.
Given these complex options, it makes sense that players prefer to pick four of the same digits in a row. It streamlines the game so that number order is no longer a factor. However, putting in quadruple numbers doesn’t increase your odds of winning.
Players can also double the cost of their plays by participating in the FIREBALL add-on, which is an additional draw featuring 10 balls numbered 0-9.
Another 4-4-4-4 Pick 4 win last year?!
Incredibly, a man named Wassihun Woldeamanuel played Pick 4 in April 2024 and chose the numbers 4-4-4-4 on 40 different tickets. It turned out to be the winning combination for that draw. Woldeamanuel won $200,000. According to AOL News, Pick 4 players didn’t typically bet on just one number before then. Now, it’s de rigueur.
Other same-digit wins tend to make headlines, too. In March, a man in Michigan won $500 by playing the numbers 6-6-6 on the game Fast Cash and used his prize money to win a $2.39 million jackpot from another game.
The Virginia Lottery
The Virginia Lottery has 10 regular draw games, including Mega Millions and Powerball. All Virginia profits go to K-12 education in the state. In 2024, the lottery raised $934 million for education.
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