Mega Millions Tickets Worth $250,000 Each Sold in Lancaster County, Philadelphia; Jackpot Grows to $189 Million

Middletown –Before the Mega Millions® jackpot rolled to $189 million for the Oct. 1 drawing, two tickets worth $250,000 each from the Friday, Sept. 27, drawing were sold at these Pennsylvania Lottery retailers:

• Sheetz, 698 W. Main St., New Holland, Lancaster County; and
• Hansa News Stand, 3501 N. Broad St., Philadelphia.

Each retailer earns a $500 bonus for selling a winning ticket.

Each winning ticket correctly matched all five white balls,  09-23-27-49-51, but not the yellow Mega Ball 38, to win individual prizes of $250,000, less 25 percent federal withholding.

Lottery officials cannot confirm the identity of either winner until each prize is claimed and each ticket is validated. Pennsylvania Lottery Mega Millions winners have one year from the drawing date to claim prizes.

Holders of winning tickets should sign the back of the ticket, call the Lottery at 717-702-8146 and file a claim at any of Lottery’s seven area offices or at Lottery headquarters in Middletown, Dauphin County. Claims may be filed Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at area offices and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at headquarters.

More than 37,300 other Pennsylvania Lottery Mega Millions tickets won prizes of up to $10,000 in the Sept. 27 drawing.

The jackpot rolled to an estimated annuity value of $189 million, or $129.9 million cash, for this Tuesday night’s drawing.

In fiscal year 2011-12, the Pennsylvania Lottery awarded a total of more than $345.8 million in prizes to winners in Lancaster and Philadelphia counties. The Lottery also contributed nearly $241.5 million to programs that benefited older residents of those counties.

How to Play Mega Millions: Mega Millions tickets cost $1 per play. Players pick five numbers from 1 to 56 and one number from 1 to 46 (the Mega Ball). Players can pick their own numbers or have numbers randomly selected by computer. For an extra $1 per play, players can add the Megaplier. Prior to the Mega Millions drawing, the Megaplier number – ranging from two to four – is randomly selected.
A player who matches five white balls and purchased Megaplier wins $1 million.  Other non-jackpot prizes are multiplied by the Megaplier number drawn.

Mega Millions tickets are sold in 43 states plus Washington D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are held on Tuesdays and Fridays.

About the Pennsylvania Lottery: The Pennsylvania Lottery remains the only state lottery that designates all its proceeds to programs that benefit older residents. Since its inception in 1971, the Pennsylvania Lottery has contributed nearly $23.7 billion to programs that include property tax and rent rebates; free transit and reduced-fare shared rides; the low-cost prescription drug programs PACE and PACENET; long-term living services; and the 52 Area Agencies on Aging, including full- and part-time senior centers throughout the state.

The Pennsylvania Lottery reminds its players to play responsibly. Players must be 18 or older.

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