A Sterling, Virginia, man redeemed his $1 million Virginia lottery ticket four days before the prize money was set to expire.
Virginia lottery officials said Aaron Monsey, who works as a carpenter, bought the winning ticket nearly six months ago at Sterling Park Exxon (formerly Getty Mart) at 209 East Holly Avenue in Sterling. He returned to the gas station Dec. 15 to receive his check from the Virginia Lottery.
Monsey used Easy Pick, allowing a computer to randomly generate the numbers on his ticket. Had he matched all six numbers, Monsey would have won an estimated $60 million jackpot.
Monsey's ticket matched the first five numbers of the June 21 Powerball drawing. He discovered the next day he had purchased the winning ticket.
"There wasn't any yelling or screaming," he told Virginia lottery officials, according to a press release.
By law, Virginia lottery tickets expire 180 days after each drawing. Monsey's ticket was set to expire Thursday.
When asked why he waited so long to redeem his prize, Monsey told lottery officials, "Just because..."
The Sterling Park Exxon received a check for $10,000 for selling the winning ticket.
Powerball drawings are held at 10:59 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays. Results are published minutes after each drawing at Lottery Post (www.lotterypost.com/results) and at USA Mega (www.usamega.com), a Web site devoted to the Powerball and Mega Millions multi-state games.
A true degenerate gambler, waiting unnecessarily near the deadline to claim. Instead of sitting that money could have been working for him instead.
Congratulation Aaron.
A Quick Pick "Easy Pick" does it again. To each his own or her own. Would Mr.Monsey have waited this long if he had scored the Jackpot ? LOL
That winner sure was slow ^
There is a down side to waiting until the last minute,something unfortunate can happened to the ticket holder.
Well at least he cashed it before it expired. Congrats to Monsey on his win!
One man's{woman's} meat, is another man's{woman's} poison. Just a matter of choice. His ticket, his money, his decision to make. Congrats. for winning something is in order.
No screaming or jumping....probably because he wished the last ball matches too! Someone who waited so long til almost last minute is somewhat weird thinking. But congrats overalll for a good fortune hit!
If he cashed it in during the first few weeks he'd be getting little or no attention,
many times the stories just mention that there were several "other winners of 1 MIL.
and no one pays them any mind.
Maybe he wanted the attention.
As for myself I couldn't wait to get paid and I'd be worried about something happening to the ticket in the meantime.
Unfortunate things happens to winners who cash their tickets right away too. I remember reading about woman in Indiana who was hit and killed by a car shortly after cashing her ticket and returning home from a bar where she had been celebrating with her friends.
Rich people say the same thing to each other too.
So true
Does anyone know how long the gas station owner had to wait to receive their $10K bonus?
It will really suck if the store getting their bonus $10k is contingent on the winning ticket being validated.
"Awesome quote "
...And when first asked by the press for his name, he replied "Nunya." Nunya Business.
Redeeming that ticket with just 4 days left is just too close for comfort.
I wonder how many others winners tried doing the same thing and ended up forgetting?
btw are you ever gonna clear out your In box ??
I suspect he was nervous about having his identity revealed, lotteries in Europe and Australia allow winners to remain anonymous.
Tax time.
That's coming to close to the deadline and not a recommended strategy for anyone. :(
After winning I would experience a force like gravity that pulls me to the Lottery Office. It will be difficult not to take the winning ticket in for validation asap. Like they say, "lawyer up" first.
W/ a win of 1 MIL. I would have less then $500,000 after tax,
I don't think I need a lawyer for that.
As for the gravitational force I agree.
Maybe winning wasn't all that important to him. There are some people that just arent crazy about a big lottery win. Congrats to him.
If I ever get the chance, I have many times felt like doing the same thing. Wait until the last day.
I couldn't wait that long to claim a large amount of money. That would turn me into a nervous wreck. The ticket could be lost, stolen or destroyed in a house fire. The possibilities for disastrous scenarios are endless. And the longer you wait the more likely something bad could happen. I wouldn't even be able to make it through a full month
Kudos to the winner though.
this is just me ...
but I know for my self I'd put it in a safety deposit box,wait till the time got right and I had my affairs in order
Big congrats to him. I'm sure he had his reasons. His money, his decision. One good thing about waiting so long is that he didn't spend a dime of it.
It would drive me crazy waiting 6 months, but at least we can safely say that anyone with this much control over a large sum of money isn't going to be squandering it.
Weirdos, those who don't need the money and players with beginner's luck somehow often manage to hit a big prize in lottery.
Obviously he didn't need the money. I suppose it's rather like a present...once you open it the thrill is gone,lol. The anticipation of a big chunk of money coming must have been his rush.
Sounds plausible.
I guess I need to take care of that. I will re-activate my premium membership in a few days.