In Virginia, a man's sudden thirst for refreshment led him to purchase some scratch-off lottery tickets from a nearby store and he left $500,000 richer.

Robert Lane, a plumber, purchased his Precious Gems Series winning ticket from a Chesapeake 7-Eleven store. 

Robert Lane was driving back home from his workplace to feed his four hunting dogs. On the way, he stopped at a 7-Eleven to grab a drink and bought some scratch-off tickets from the Virginia Lottery's Precious Gems Series.

While standing near his dog pens, he scratched the ticket and won the $500,000 top prize. The only problem was that no one to celebrate with except his dogs.

"They were looking at me like I was crazy," Lane told Virginia Lottery officials.

On October 30, he claimed his prize at the Virginia Lottery headquarters.

The Precious Gems Series has prizes from $10 to $500,000. You can buy tickets with Sapphire, Diamond, Ruby, or Emerald. One top prize remains unclaimed. Chances of winning the top prize are 1 in 816,000 and the odds of winning any prize are 1 in 3.83.

Virginia Doctoral student wins over $200,000

A woman from Virginia also won over $200,000 by playing an online instant game.

Kamiran Fields was introduced to Virginia Lottery online games by a coworker and she said strange things appeared on her screen as she played Virginia Bonus Wheel at home.

"I thought, 'Okay, I know this is not about to happen!'" she later told Virginia Lottery officials. "There is NO way this just happened!"

As she looked closely, she saw she had just won $253,962. Fields, who is in a college doctoral program, said she has no immediate plans for her winnings.

The Virginia Bonus Wheel has a progressive jackpot that grows over time. The odds of winning a prize depend on the price point and range from 1 in 2.42 to 1 in 2.41 in every game.

More winners:Baltimore man wins $1 million from Florida Lottery scratch-off ticket

Where can you buy lottery tickets?  

Tickets can be purchased in-person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.

You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Washington D.C. and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.  

Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. Must be 18+, 21+ in AZ and 19+ in NE. Not affiliated with any State Lottery. Gambling Problem? Call 1-877-8-HOPE-NY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY); 1-800-327-5050 (MA); 1-877-MYLIMIT (OR); 1-800-GAMBLER (all others). Visit jackpocket.com/tos for full terms and conditions.