Luzerne County Man Claims $37.6 Million Powerball® Jackpot

MIDDLETOWN, Pa., Nov. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Using the change from buying a granola bar and cup of coffee to purchase a Powerball® ticket on a whim transformed into a $37.6 million windfall for Steven Lloyd of Harding, Luzerne County.

Lottery Executive Director Todd Rucci today presented a ceremonial check for $37,622,580.20 to Lloyd, 51, holder of the single jackpot-winning ticket from the Nov. 19 Powerball drawing.

Lloyd's ticket matched all five white balls, 09-16-17-28-30, and the red Powerball, 11, to win the largest Pennsylvania Lottery prize ever awarded to a Luzerne County player. Lloyd elected to take the $37.6 million cash value of the jackpot, less 25 percent federal withholding.

"I had forgotten I bought the ticket until I was visiting my mom, and my sister called to say the big winning ticket was sold at the Exeter Turkey Hill," said Lloyd.  "I threw my tickets onto a desk and couldn't believe what I saw when I got to the winning ticket. My mom thought something was wrong until I told her I thought I had the winning Powerball ticket."

Lloyd, who said he checked his ticket about 50 times before finally believing it was the jackpot-winner, purchased the ticket at the Turkey Hill Minit Market located at 980 Wyoming Ave., Exeter, Luzerne County, on Nov. 17. He presented the ticket for validation this morning 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.

"Steven Lloyd takes home the biggest prize from the Nov. 19 Powerball drawing, but he isn't the only Lottery winner worth recognizing today," said Rucci. "Not only does Powerball provide the Pennsylvania Lottery exciting opportunities to create millionaires, but Powerball sales this calendar year have generated about $65 million for programs that benefit older Pennsylvanians."

Last fiscal year, the Lottery contributed $39.3 million to programs that benefited Luzerne County older residents, including property tax and rent rebates, low-cost prescriptions, free and reduced-fare rides, long-term living services and a myriad of social, educational and recreational programs offered through the 52 Area Agencies on Aging and hundreds of senior centers across the state.

Lloyd, who does not play the Lottery regularly, said this $37.6 million prize is the first prize he has ever won from the lottery.

"I'm not looking for a life of excess with this money," said Lloyd. "Just an easier, more interesting life where I can use this prize money to 'pay it forward,' once things calm down and we figure out how to put the money to the most good.

"I've always said good things take time but great things happen in an instant, and I was fortunate enough to have experienced this instant."

Lloyd is the 14th Pennsylvania Lottery Powerball jackpot winner since the state joined the multi-jurisdictional game in June 2002, and the $37.6 million Nov.19 Powerball prize ranks as the 12th largest prize ever awarded by the Pennsylvania Lottery. 

The largest prize ever awarded to a single winner in Pennsylvania was a $110.2 million Powerball jackpot prize from the May 8, 2004 drawing, which was awarded to a couple from Skillman, N.J. The largest Powerball jackpot ever awarded was a $365 million jackpot from the Feb. 18, 2006 drawing; a group of co-workers from Lincoln, Neb. opted for the $177.3 million cash prize.

Turkey Hill will receive a $100,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket. Turkey Hill has been a Pennsylvania Lottery partner since 1972, and the Wyoming Ave. location has been selling lottery tickets since 1998.

Powerball tickets are sold in 44 participating jurisdictions. Drawings are held on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

How to play Powerball: Players pay $1 and select five white balls from the first set of 59 numbers plus a single red ball, the Powerball, from a second set of 39 numbers. Players may select their own numbers using a Powerball play slip, or they may opt for computer-selected quick picks. Players must match all five numbers drawn plus the Powerball number to win the jackpot. There also are eight additional ways for players to win a cash prize.

Powerball features an option called Power Play, for an extra $1 per Powerball play (game).  A player who matches five white balls and purchased Power Play wins $1 million. Other non-jackpot prizes are multiplied by the Power Play number drawn.

About the Pennsylvania Lottery: The Pennsylvania Lottery remains the only state lottery that designates all its proceeds to programs that benefit older residents. Since its inception in 1971, the Pennsylvania Lottery has contributed nearly $21.5 billion to programs that include property tax and rent rebates; free transit and reduced-fare shared rides; the low-cost prescription drug programs PACE and PACENET; long-term living services; and the 52 Area Agencies on Aging, including full- and part-time senior centers throughout the state. The Pennsylvania Lottery reminds its players to play responsibly. Players must be 18 or older.

For more information, visit www.palottery.com, log in to Facebook and like us at www.facebook.com/palottery or follow us at www.twitter.com/palottery. 

Media contact: Allison Roberts, 717-702-8008

Note: Steven Lloyd was generous enough to participate in a media event recognizing his win, but he asked the media to respect his privacy following the event, and requested the Lottery to decline on his behalf additional media interviews. 

SOURCE Pennsylvania Lottery