A professional truck driver for nearly 30 years will be retiring early thanks to a lottery ticket he purchased at a Pennsylvania travel plaza.
On Wednesday, Steven Peloquin claimed a $91.8 million Mega Millions jackpot from the July 21 drawing.
It is the second jackpot-winning Mega Millions ticket sold by the Pennsylvania Lottery and the fourth-largest prize awarded in the Lottery's history.
Lottery Executive Director Drew Svitko presented a ceremonial check for $91,781,644.00 to Peloquin, of Mechanicsville, Virginia.
The winning ticket correctly matched all five white balls, 20, 30, 62, 65, and 74, with Mega Ball number 1. The ticket had an annuity value of $153 million or a cash value of $91.8 million, less 25 percent federal withholding.
Peloquin purchased the ticket at Penn 80/Flying J Travel Plaza, 1460 N. Ridge Road, Milton, Northumberland County, while traveling through Pennsylvania for work.
The plaza, a Lottery retailer since September 2010, earns a $100,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.
Peloquin said he didn't check his ticket for several days.
"I was getting ready to turn in last Saturday night when I went online to check my numbers," Peloquin said. "Needless to say, I didn't get to sleep that night."
He then took a photo of the ticket and shared it with several close relatives, who confirmed that his ticket matched the winning numbers.
Peloquin said the jackpot win will enable him and his wife to retire early and spend more time with their family.
Peloquin presented the Mega Millions ticket for validation at Lottery headquarters in Middletown, Dauphin County. Lottery officials confirmed it was the jackpot-winning ticket after examining the ticket and executing proprietary security measures.
The odds of hitting the Mega Millions jackpot are 1-in-258,890,850. The odds of winning any Mega Millions prize are 1-in-14.71.
The Pennsylvania Lottery joined the Mega Millions multi-state game in early 2010 and has awarded two jackpots for the game. The first was a $149 million annuity value jackpot sold for the May 20, 2014, drawing. It was claimed several months later by a couple from the Pittsburgh area who took the $86.8 million cash prize.
The Pennsylvania Lottery has sold 17 jackpot-winning Powerball tickets since joining that multi-state game in 2002.
The largest prize ever awarded to a single winning ticket in Pennsylvania was a $110.2 millio Powerball jackpot cash prize from the May 8, 2004, drawing, which was claimed by a couple from Skillman, N.J.
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I love buying lottery tickets whenever I'm passing through or visiting another state. Congratulations Steven Peloquin.
What a wonderful surprise! Smart of his wife to stay out of site for the picture.,
Congratulation Steven on getting your...
7/30/15
Congrats to Steve and if he still likes to drive something big to fit his budget this looks like a starter vehicle and he won't have to drive under the pressure of making a living. He could even afford a luxury travel bus that would offer more living space.
Hope he spends and invests wisely.
Congratulations on your win, on retirement
Congratulations on your big win! I play @ the truck stop in Simpsonville, KY..this morning machines were off line.
Hey Maringoman,
Just returned from home...bought my Season Tickets for Lucky for Life, Mega Millions and MegaBucks Doubler. Got them in Hyannis. A friend told me to stop by Plymouth which regrettably didn't and see several winners there on the website. Bought five Supreme Millions tickets...all supreme losers! Really enjoyed the new casino in Plainridge too. I too buy tickets in all the states I visit. Someone's gotta win... might as well be me! Good luck to you!!
Good for him but the poor Pa players got screwed again. Everyone probably thought their neighbor might be the winner, not some out of State trucker. He should change his cb handle to Road Thief.
When I'm tripping I buy lottery ticket in all the states I stop. It the airport. Congratulations to Steven Peloquin of Virginia.
SO, we get our second win since joining Mega Millions and it goes to someone out of state
Oh Well .......................
Good luck in your season tickets. I've not decided if I will be getting any. I live here so it's convenient either way I choose to play.
I haven't played any of those $20 or $30 scratch offs. I consider them a money grab by MA lottery. Once a year I'll buy one $10 scratch off. Be sure to enter the second chance drawing for supreme millions. Good luck!
I haven't been to the casino either. I hope to go soon.
Yes, I did save the five losing tickets. You do save quite a bit with season tickets; however you're stuck (as you know) with the same #'s, plus you can't get Megaplier or Powerplay. I had the computer pick the #'s for this former Hollistonian. When are the new lottery machines going to be installed?? Was disappointed those old blue dinosaurs still in existence! I came this close to winning $7500 on the Platinum quick hit machines!
Well, the lottery in any state is open to anyone willing to part with the dollars to purchase said ticket. If you feel that way about a non-resident winning in your state, I wonder how you feel when an illegal undocumented alien wins?!!! Yeah, that one sucks because they usually collect the money and then scamper back across the border to their home country...taking your and my dollars with them.
Good for him! Get it where you can. I'm in PA and wondered if it would be snyone I knew.
I guess not.
It doesn't bother me that someone from another state won. It's just nice to see anyone
win that much money.
I don't care about non residents winning. In fact, I've got some good wins from Va & CT. Just saying it hurts a little when that happens. FYI, i know a few hard working illegals from Ecuador and if they won i would give them any advice they need.
Perhaps ............