A lucky punter from the USA said he nearly had a stroke when he realised he had just hit the largest-ever online lottery jackpot in the state.

George Cole from the town of Tazewell, Virginia State, USA, was so stunned after the whooping USD 886,819 (GBP 711,326) appeared on his screen, he said he felt his heart jump out of his chest.

Cole said in a statement obtained by Newsflash from Virginia Lottery: “My heart about stopped when I realized I’d won!”

The lucky winner explained how he was relaxing at home one morning when he decided to pick up his mobile phone and place a bet on a game called The Lamp.

The game reportedly features a progressive jackpot with the odds of winning standing at 1 in 3.5.

George said: “I thought I’d play before going to get the day started.”

Just moments later, he pocketed the largest-ever online prize since the Virginia Lottery began online play in July 2020.

At lottery headquarters in the city of Richmond, George explained how had his eye on the jackpot for quite some time, before he decided to try his luck out this June.

He recalled thinking at the time: “Somebody’s got to win it. It might as well be me.”

George revealed he had no other plans with his winnings but to pay his bills.

Virginia Lottery said: “All Virginia Lottery profits go to K-12 education in Virginia.

“Mr. Cole lives in Tazewell County, which received nearly USD 5.6 million [GBP 4.5 million] in Lottery funds for K-12 education last fiscal year.

“In Fiscal Year 2022, the Lottery raised more than USD 779 million [GBP 625 million] for K-12 education, making up approximately 10 percent of Virginia’s total K-12 school budget.”