$1 million lottery ticket sold in Greensburg; winner first thought it was worth $1,000

A Greensburg-area man who is a regular lottery ticket buyer thought he was lucky when he learned he had bought a winning Mega Millions Pennsylvania Lottery ticket Friday — but not as lucky as he turned out to be.

“He did not know he had won” $1 million when he came back to the store Saturday morning because he thought he had won just $1,000, Greensburg Newsstand owner Allan Lydic said.

Instead of three zeroes after the $1, there were six for the Greensburg area’s newest almost-millionaire.

The man’s winning ticket matched all five white balls drawn, 12-32-49-51-66, but not the yellow Mega Ball 21. Instead, his Mega Ball number was 25, Lydic said.

If the quick-pick ticket he bought for a mere $2 had the right Mega Ball number, he could have collected the top prize that had an annuity value of $414 million.

“It’s nice that it was a regular customer and not just someone driving through” the city who happened to stop by the West Otterman Street store, Lydic said. The Mega Millions is played in 45 states.

Lydic declined to reveal the regular ticket buyer’s identity, other than to say he is retired.

“Some people are pretty private about winning,” Lydic said.

Diana Dietz, spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Lottery, said they will reach out to the lottery winner to see if he wants to participate in a media event, where a ceremonial check would be presented to him.

Lydic said he already sent the winning ticket to the Pennsylvania Lottery in Harrisburg for official verification, providing the winner with a copy and keeping one for himself.

The Pennsylvania Lottery lists the names of the winners, unlike some other states that keep the winner’s identity secret, Lydic said.

The lottery winner said he plans to use the windfall to pay for his son’s college education, Lydic said.

The winner will not get a $1 million check from the state Treasury Department because Pennsylvania will deduct 24% for federal taxes and 3.07% in state taxes, as is lottery policy. It usually takes four to six weeks for the treasury to release the money once the winner’s claim has been processed, Dietz said.

The winner already stopped in the newsstand Monday and bought his Mega Millions ticket for Tuesday’s drawing. If he hits on all five numbers in Tuesday’s drawing, plus the Mega Ball, he could have an annuity worth $441 million or a cash payout of $238 million.

For selling the winning ticket, the newsstand will receive $5,000. Lydic said he is not planning anything extravagant with the money, but will use it to pay expenses, such as the two parking spots on West Otterman Street that he pays for his customers and a spot for himself in the Robert A. Bell Parking Garage across the street from his store.

This story was updated April 11 to indicate the winnings come from the Pa. Treasury Department.