Pennsylvania man redeems one of two $1.1M lottery tickets; second remains unclaimed

(WHTM) — Check your tickets! A Pennsylvania man claimed one of two jackpot-winning lottery tickets worth $1.1 million. The other winning ticket has yet to be claimed.

According to the Pennsylvania Lottery, a Cash 5 with Quick Cash jackpot-winning ticket worth $1,162,845 was sold in Erie County. The Lottery says the ticket was one of two that split the jackpot from the Monday, June 9, drawing. The other jackpot-winning ticket, sold in Butler County, has not yet been claimed. The two tickets total $2.3 million in winnings.

The Erie County winner was identified (fittingly) as Gary Winner, a 64-year-old retiree from Erie. Winner decided to purchase multiple tickets and won big.

“I went into Giant Eagle, and I saw the Cash 5 jackpot was over $2 million. I thought, ‘Well, I’m going to buy $20 worth, Quick Pick,’” Winner told the PA Lottery. “The jackpot was split, meaning another ticket from 7-Eleven in Butler County won the other half of the Cash 5 jackpot.”

After learning he won, Winner called his wife, Sherry.

“I said, ‘What would you think if I just told you I hit Cash 5?’ She couldn’t believe it,” he said.

The Giant Eagle at 2501 West 12th Street in Millcreek Township, Erie County, will earn a $10,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket. Officials for the grocery chain said they plan to share the selling bonus with Meals on Wheels Erie, which has been delivering nutritious meals to home-bound seniors since 1971, per the Lottery.

The Lottery said winners are not known until prizes are claimed and tickets are validated, and a Quick Cash prize must be claimed within one year of the drawing date.

Anyone holding a jackpot-winning Cash 5 with Quick Cash ticket should contact the nearest Lottery office for further instructions or call 1-800-692-7481, per the Lottery.