Centre County Man Wins Record Treasure Hunt Prize - Prize Won on Game’s Fourth Anniversary
Beech Creek – On May 8, the fourth anniversary of the debut of mid-day Lottery game Treasure Hunt, Lewis Spangler, of Howard, Centre County, won $213,953 from the game, the largest prize won by a single ticket in its history.
Thomas Blaskiewicz, Lottery Deputy Executive Director for Retail Operations, today presented a ceremonial check to Spangler at Kwik Pik/Uni-Mart, 42 Main St., Beech Creek, Clinton County, where the ticket was purchased. The store receives a $500 bonus for selling the winning ticket.
Spangler’s ticket correctly matched all five balls, 02-06-09-17-18, to win the jackpot of $213,953, less 25-percent federal withholding.
The day after the drawing, Spangler returned to the retailer to buy milk, and a clerk asked him if he was the big winner from the previous day’s Treasure Hunt Drawing. When he returned home, he checked his ticket against the winning numbers on the Lottery’s website and discovered he had purchased the winning ticket.
“My wife didn’t believe me that we won,” Spangler said. “She said she wouldn’t believe it until she saw the money.”
Spangler and his wife, Donna, plan to use some of their winnings to purchase new vehicles.
Last fiscal year, in addition to awarding more than $12.1 million and $5.6 million in prizes to Centre and Clinton counties, respectively, the Pennsylvania Lottery contributed $6.5 million to programs that benefited seniors in Centre County and another $3.8 million to Clinton County seniors’ programs.
How to play Treasure Hunt: To play Treasure Hunt, players pay $1 and select five numbers from 1 to 30. Players may select their own numbers, or they may opt for computer-selected quick picks. Players must match all five numbers drawn to win the jackpot. Players also win prizes for matching two, three or four winning numbers. Treasure Hunt drawings are held seven days a week, and tickets can be purchased up to seven draws (one week) in advance. Odds of winning the jackpot prize are 1-in-142,506; the overall odds of winning any prize are about 1-in-5.45.
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 $20.6 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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