Big Wins Keep Coming for PA Lottery Players as Powerball Jackpot Nears Half a Billion

<>

Written By Kevin Shelly on January 8, 2021
PA Lottery scratch-off winners

As the Mega Millions jackpot tops $500,000 and Powerball at a kool $470 million, it’s already been a lucky January for some PA Lottery players, especially in and around Philadelphia.

While retailers handle much of the lottery, there is also the option to play many lottery games online.

As a result of the pandemic, iLottery games have surged.

Rank
Casinos
Bonus
Features
Play
1
125% WELCOME BONUS
Up to $1250 to bet on sports
250% Slots + Table Bonus
150 Free Spins On Gorilla Or Buffalo Ways
50 Daily Boost For Your Massive Wins
Grab your 175% + 50 free spins
5
$20 Free
On Sign Up
$20 Free with No Deposit
100% Deposit Match up to $1,000
Live Dealer and Exclusive Games
Use Bonus Code: PLAYNJ
6
$2,000
Play It Again
Up to $2,000 Back if Down After First Day
Blackjack, Roulette, Slots & More
1 X Play Through 
To Claim: Click Play Now
8
$100 Bonus Play
Opt-in & Bet Just $1
Bet $1 Get $100 Bonus Play
50 Bonus Spins Included
Daily Casino Bonuses
To Claim: Click Play Now
9
$1,000 Bonus
100% Match On First Deposit
100% Up to $1,000 On deposit
300+ Casino Games
To Claim: Click Play Now
10
In Bonus Bets
UP TO $1,000
Free Live Streaming - Watch Live Games
$1,000 Paid Back in Bonus Bets
Use Bonus Code: PLAYBONUS

Big wins in the Philadelphia burbs

Meanwhile, a Powerball ticket worth $1 million was sold Wednesday at the Sunoco A Plus Mini Market in Wynnewood, Montgomery County. The ticket matched all five white balls drawn, 01-20-22-60-66. The store, located at 330 E. Lancaster Ave., will earn a $5,000 bonus for the ticket.

In Chester County, a $3 million-winning scratch-off was sold at the Thorndale Exxon & Tiger Mart, 3727 Lincoln Highway East. The seller gets a $10,000 bonus. The $3,000,000 Money Millionaire is a $30 game that offers top prizes of – you guessed it – $3 million.

A second $3 million scratch-off in the same game was also sold in the same county, at Fine Wine & Good Spirits, 215 Lancaster Ave., Malvern. That seller also gets a $10,000 bonus.

More lottery wins in Philly

Two lucky players hit for the top $1,000,000 Extreme Cash Scratch-Off in Philadelphia. One was sold at Commissary Food Market, 5255 Ridge Ave., another at a Wawa at 3341 Grant Ave. The $1,000,000 Extreme Cash is a $20 game that offers a top prize of $1 million. The PA lottery retailers each get a $5,000 bonus.

Additional big prizes hit in other regions of the state, too. They include:

  • A $1 million Merry Money Scratch Off  sold in Monroe County
  • A Match 6 Lotto ticket worth $1.91 million sold in Lehigh County.
  • A Magnificent Millions ticket worth $1 million sold in Northumberland County.
  • A Magnificent Millions ticket worth $1 million sold in Westmoreland County.
  • A $1 million jackpot-winning Cash 5 ticket sold in Beaver County matched all five balls drawn, 07-16-21-23-27.

Not everyone who thought they were lucky won in the end

A former employee of an Acme grocery in Doylestown, Bucks County, must return a winning $4.15 million PA Match 6 ticket that she claimed last year from the store’s pile of discarded “mistake tickets.”

In December, a PA Superior Court ruling determined she could not claim the lottery winnings because Acme held a valid property interest in the “mistake ticket.” The decision affirmed a previous trial court ruling issued in November 2019.

In March of 2019, a customer at the Doylestown store asked to purchase five PA Match 6 tickets for $2 for each set of numbers. The customer then rejected them and requested five different tickets.

Acme’s policy is to place printed “mistake tickets” in a pile later reconciled with the Pennsylvania Lottery as part of a weekly balance covering all tickets generated by the store’s terminal, including those sold and not sold to customers.

The employee in question took $10 from her purse and rang up a transaction for the same price as the customer’s purchase of the tickets. She was still on the clock and never consulted with anyone at Acme about purchasing the mistake ticket. She signed the back of the ticket and submitted it to the Lottery.

Security footage revealed the incident.

The company filed a complaint in April of 2019. The winnings went into escrow, pending resolution in court. A judge scoffed at her claim to rightfully hold the ticket. On appeal, the ruling stands.

Kevin Shelly Avatar
Written by

Kevin Shelly

Kevin C. Shelly is an award-winning career journalist who has spent most of his career in South Jersey. He’s the former assistant city editor of The Press of Atlantic City, where he covered the casino industry and Atlantic City government as a reporter. He was also an investigative, narrative enterprise, and features reporter for Gannett’s Courier-Post.

View all posts by Kevin Shelly