Number magic: Statistician uses birthday numbers to win $205,000 Cash 5 jackpot

If anyone knows numbers, it's a statistician, and this lucky one in Virginia used it to his benefit to win a lottery jackpot!

Birthday numbers for the win

Isaac Dompreh of Alexandria is a statistician, so when he plays Virginia Lottery's Cash 5 with EZ Match draw game, he prefers to select his own numbers. And while doing this, he corresponds his numbers with significant birthdays.

This strategy worked for Dompreh, who matched all five winning numbers in the April 27 drawing to win the $205,000 jackpot. The winning numbers for that drawing were 2, 6, 9, 31, and 32.

Dompreh bought the winning ticket at Giant Food, located at 7137 Columbia Pike in Annandale. 

Now that Dompreh has claimed his winnings, he told Virginia Lottery officials that he hopes to use his winnings to pay off his student loans, something many Americans wish they could do.

More on Cash 5 with EZ Match

The Cash 5 with EZ Match draw game features a rolling jackpot, which starts at a minimum of $200,000. The odds of matching all five numbers and winning the jackpot are 1 in 1.22 million.

Each play costs $1, and for an additional $1, players can add the EZ Match option. This gives players five randomly generated numbers with a prize of up to $500 associated with each number. If those numbers match any of the numbers on your ticket for the drawing, then the player wins that prize — even before the drawing is held.

Another lucky player wins the Cash 5 with EZ Match jackpot

Winning is going around for Virginia Lottery players. Another lucky player recently claimed their Cash 5 with EZ Match jackpot, as Kostas Damalas matched all five numbers on the April 25 drawing to win $283,789.

Damalas got quite a shock when he found out he had won. The Henrico man was actually sleeping when his wife surprised him at about three o'clock in the morning to tell him he had won.

He told Lottery officials:

I was half asleep, and I didn't know what she was talking about!

He knows now, as his Cash 5 with EZ Match ticket matched all five numbers to win the jackpot that night. The winning numbers for the April 25 drawing were 17, 26, 28, 30, and 35. Damalas used the Easy Pick option and allowed the computer to generate the numbers for him.

For matching all five numbers, Damalas won the jackpot worth $283,789 after purchasing his winning ticket online using the Virginia Lottery app.

Lottery players in Virginia have the opportunity to play popular games, like Mega Millions, Powerball, Cash4Life, Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5, and Cash 5 with EZ Match online. In order to purchase the tickets online, players must be at least 18 years of age and physically located in Virginia.

Enjoy playing the Virginia Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.