RICHMOND, Va. - Every day thousands of people hope to win big by playing the lottery in Virginia.
"I just want to check it out to see if I have any good luck," said Tamel Page, who plays the lottery daily.
Page said he has won $7,500 at one point, but said he is extra cautious when it comes to checking his numbers.
"I don't trust anyone," he said, "I keep my tickets pretty much safe and try to go online to look and see if I won or not."
He is especially careful after hearing of a recent incident in California.
A gas station was under investigation after a lottery ticket that should have returned a $75,000 reward only returned $75.00.
The "winner" was actually a state inspector and the ticket was a fake.
CBS 6 wanted to know how lottery officials here in Virginia protect consumers.
John Hagerty with the Virginia Lottery said lottery employees are in every store once a week or even more.
"This is the lottery salesman who goes in and has that relationship with the store," said Hagerty.
Hagerty said it's important for you to arm yourself with information when you have that ticket, like knowing if you have winning numbers or not.
He also said you'll hear a sound if you're a winner, which isn't just a fun noise
"There really is a security purpose to it, to let you know that's a winning ticket and you don't necessarily have to let the person behind the desk know," he said.
Still, Hagerty said they have a good working relationship with stores, but some consumers say it's always better to be safe than sorry.
"If you don't pay attention to it, you could give away the winning ticket," said Page.
