A man from Pittsburgh walked in the Pennsylvania Lottery's headquarters in Middletown last week and claimed the first ever US Mega Millions Jackpot to be won on a Pennsylvanian ticket.
Carl Szott was the only player to successfully match all five main numbers and the Mega Number in the May 20, 2014, drawing, but he didn’t claim his $86.7 million prize until Thursday, August 28.
When asked why he'd waited so long to present his ticket the retiree said he'd waited 100 days to 'make sure we were doing everything right'.
Szott purchased his Quick Pick ticket from the White Oak Gas & Grocery store in White Oak Allegheny County. The store will receive a $100,0000 retailer's bonus for selling the winning ticket.
Szott's wife and several family members accompanied him when he finally claimed his prize.
Presenting Szott with an oversized ceremonial check for $86,755,350, Lottery Executive Director Sil Lutkewitte said: "I'm very glad to introduce Carl Szott as the Pennsylvania Lottery's very first Mega Millions jackpot winner. This jackpot is also the fifth-largest prize in Pennsylvania Lottery history."
Although he has already had some time to get used to being a millionaire, Szott admitted winning such a large prize still took some getting used to.
"Winning the jackpot has been a surreal experience," Szott said. "We hope that very little in our lives will change; we are really excited to be able to spend more time with our children and grandchildren."
Mega Millions is the biggest jackpot game in America. Jackpots start at $15 million and other prizes range from $1 to a cool $1 million! Drawings are held Tuesdays and Fridays at 23:00 (ET). The next drawing is on Tuesday, September 2, 2014. The estimated jackpot is $25 million.
