On January 9, 2024, lucky lottery player Donald Eller, from Johnstown, Pennsylvania, was presented with his $1 million check from the Pennsylvania Lottery. He won the money playing a Big Money Millionaire instant-win ticket.
Donald, a cook at Bigdogz Grill in Johnstown, purchased his winning ticket at his job. In an interview with the Pennsylvania Lottery, he said:
I bought three tickets in a row and won smaller amounts. I decided to test my luck and bought two more of the same ticket after that and the last one was the million-dollar winner. I couldn’t believe it. I was shaking.
Donald said he wants to use the money to help out people who have helped him in the past few years. For the time being, Donald is still working hard in the Bigdogz kitchen. He has worked as a cook for more than 30 years and plans to carry on working for at least another five years before he retires.
The Pennsylvania Lottery launched Big Money Millionaire in August 2023. It is a $20 instant-win game with a top prize of $1 million. The game has now ended, but there are many more instant-win games for lottery players to choose from.
Pennsylvania scratch-off tickets
The Pennsylvania Lottery offers more than 60 instant-win games. They can be purchased from your local lottery retailer from $1 to $50 with jackpot prizes of up to $5 million. Some of lottery players’ favorites include:
- Jingle Buck: This is a $1 game with a top prize of $5,000.
- Cloud Nine Bingo: This is a $5 game with a top prize of $200,000.
- $500,000 Crossword Blowout: This is a $10 game with a top prize of $500,000.
- Lucky 7: This is a $10 game with a top prize of $500,000.
The newest instant-win games from the Pennsylvania Lottery include:
- Love Struck: This is a $1 instant-win game with a top prize of $1,400.
- My Cherry On Top: This is a $ 2-win game with a top prize of $14,000.
- You Make My Heart Skip a Beat: This is a $5 instant-win game with a top prize of $100,000.
- Bonus Star Bingo: This is a $3 instant-win game with a top prize of $50,000.
- $1 Million Moneybag Crossword: This is a $20 instant-win game with a top prize of $1.
- Monopoly Own It All: This is a $50 instant-win game with a top prize of $5 million.
About the Pennsylvania Lottery
The Pennsylvania Lottery launched the sale of its first game in March 1972. The game was a 50-cent ticket with a weekly drawing. It offered a top prize of $50,000 and occasional drawings for $1 million prizes. Since then, the Keystone State has come a long way and has had many milestones. In 2023, the PA Lottery contributed over $1.1 billion to help seniors throughout the state with programs such as in-home long-term living services and low-cost prescription medications.
Enjoy playing the Pennsylvania Lottery instant-win games, and remember to play responsibly.
