The lucky winner, 26-year-old Jake Parkinson of Butler County, said that he was in disbelief when he discovered he won.

“I played the Raffle before a few years back. I figured I’d give it a shot,” said Parkinson. “It was a few days after the drawing when I went to that Sheetz and saw a sign that read $1 million Raffle ticket sold here. I remembered I bought one there and figured to check.”

Parkinson said he used the Lottery’s Official App to check his Raffle ticket.

“I scanned my ticket on the Lottery app, and it said to take the ticket to a retailer or Lottery office,” said Parkinson. “Next, I went to the website and checked the numbers. I had a big smile on my face when I saw I won.”

Parkinson, who said he’s a truck driver, said he told his brother and father about the great news.

“They thought it wasn’t real,” he said. “I plan to pay off my house and I look forward to investing.”

“This is truly life changing. When you play the Lottery, you’re hoping to win. Once I figured out I won big, I was in shock,” added Parkinson.

“Congratulations to Jake for winning a top prize on the New Year’s Millionaire Raffle,” said Pennsylvania Lottery Executive Director Drew Svitko. “It’s thanks to Jake and our retailer partners like Sheetz that games like the Raffle can be so successful, providing funding for senior programs like Meals on Wheels, funding for senior centers, help with prescription assistance, rent and property tax rebates, and so much more throughout the year.”

“It is always exciting to celebrate a big lottery win and, so far this year, customers at Sheetz have won more than $4 million in cash prizes,” said Sheetz Public Relations Manager Nick Ruffner. “I know that our team in Butler joins us in congratulating Jake on his big win and we all wish him the best of luck in the future – and hope he continues to stop into the store often!”

The January 6 New Year’s Millionaire Raffle drawing awarded 6,000 cash prizes totaling more than $5 million: four $1 million prizes, four $100,000 prizes, 100 prizes of $1,000, and 5,892 prizes of $100. The raffle also featured eight weekly drawings that each awarded two prizes of $50,000, leading up to the January 6 drawing.

The Pennsylvania Lottery’s New Year’s Millionaire Raffle game has created 136 new millionaires since it debuted in 2005.

To determine if they have won a prize, players can review the ticket, scan it at a Lottery retailer, or use the Ticket Checker feature on the Lottery’s Official App. Winners should immediately sign the back of the ticket, call the Lottery at 1-800-692-7481 and file a claim at the nearest Lottery office.

See Millionaire Raffle 33 Drawing Winning Numbers >
 

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About Us: The Pennsylvania Lottery remains the only state lottery to direct all proceeds to programs that benefit older residents. Since ticket sales began in 1972, it has contributed more than $35.1 billion to fund property tax and rent rebates, transportation, care services, prescription assistance, and local services including senior centers and meals. The Pennsylvania Lottery operates as a bureau within the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue.

Visit the Winners and Benefits pages at palottery.com to review how much money each county receives in Lottery prizes and funding to benefit older Pennsylvanians.

Players must be 18 or older. Please play responsibly. Call 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) for help with a compulsive gambling problem.

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