WEST EASTON, Pa. — A borough smoke shop sold a jackpot-winning Match 6 lottery ticket for Wednesday night's drawing, earning the player — who just might be local — more than $1 million.
West Easton Grocery & Smoke Shop, 708 A East St., sold a ticket with the numbers 3-23-25-26-41-42, netting the player $1.68 million minus withholdings, the Pennsylvania Lottery announced Thursday.
Store owners also won a $10,000 bonus for selling the ticket, the lottery said.
As of Thursday morning, the winner has not been identified, being they are considered unknown until they claim their prize and have their ticket validated.The Pennsylvania Lottery
Shop owner Soujanya Akula was surprised to learn the news Thursday afternoon, as he had not yet been contacted by the Pennsylvania Lottery offices, and as such, he isn’t exactly sure what he’ll do with the bonus prize.
According to Akula, the shop sells about $200 to $300 of number games and scratch off tickets each per day, though this is his first jackpot ticket sale – and being that his customer base is predominantly local, he estimates the winner is someone from the area.
And he might even know who that jackpot winner is, he said.
“One guy, he plays Match 6 every day, you know. And some people, they play when [the jackpot] is high,” he said.
As of Thursday morning, the winner has not been identified, being they are considered unknown until they claim their prize and have their ticket validated.
More than 53,100 other Match 6 tickets earned players prizes in the latest drawing.
The $2 Match 6 lotto game has customers select six numbers from 1 to 49, with the option to have the computer pick those numbers for them.
The computer then randomly selects an additional two sets of six numbers, creating three lines.
Players can win up to four times per ticket — once on each line, and by combining all 18 numbers for a “combined play” win.
Match 6 draws every evening, and players can buy up to 26 draws in advance.
Chances of winning, previous winners
According to the Pennsylvania Lottery website, base play players have a 1 in 4,661,272 chance of hitting that jackpot.
They also have a 1 in 18,067 chance of matching five of six numbers for a $1,000 prize; a 1 in 344.47 chance matching four of six numbers for $20; and a 1 in 19.22 chance of matching three of six numbers for $2.
Combined players have a 1 in 597,303 chance of matching 10 or more numbers for a $2,500 prize; a 1 in 45,267 chance of matching nine numbers for $1,000; and a 1 in 4,440 chance of matching eight numbers for $50.
Also, a 1 in 590.91 chance of matching seven numbers for a $25 prize; a 1 in 106.74 chance of matching six numbers for a $10 prize; a 1 in 26.37 chance of matching five numbers for a $5 prize; a 1 in 9.07 chance of matching four numbers for a $2 prize; and an overall chance of 1 in 5.9 to earn any combined play prize.
Just this August, it was revealed that a store in New Tripoli sold a $150,000 ticket almost a year earlier, with an expiration date of Oct. 9, 2024, to claim the prize.
The Weis Markets on Sullivan Trail in Easton also sold a winning Cash 5 with Quick Cash ticket that matched all five balls, 18-21-22-34-35, for the Saturday, Jan. 27 drawing.
That earned the player $860,761.50 less withholding, and the store a $5,000 bonus.
Winners are encouraged to sign the back of their tickets, call the Lottery at 800-692-7481 and file a timely claim at any of its seven area offices.
The Pennsylvania Lottery Lehigh Valley office is at 555 Union Blvd., Allentown. It can be reached by phone at 610-807-3319 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Unclaimed prizes remain in the Lottery Fund and are used to support programs that benefit older Pennsylvanians, such as senior centers and property tax and rent rebates.
This is a developing report, and will be updated as more information becomes available.
