Pennsylvania Grocery Store Sells a $1 Million a Year for Life Winning Ticket

Somebody in Franklin County is set for life. A winning ticket in Pennsylvania's $1,000,000 a Year for Life scratch-off was sold at the Martin's grocery store on North Antrim Way in Greencastle, and it carries one of the best prizes the lottery offers: $1 million a year, every year, for the rest of the winner's life.

The winner has not been identified and it was not revealed if the winner chose the $1 million annual payments or a single lump sum of $14.5 million in cash.

It is the second one of these tickets to hit in just over a week. The previous winner bought theirs at a Walmart in Elk County.

About the game

The $1,000,000 a Year for Life scratch-off is one of Pennsylvania's $50 tickets, the top price point on the shelf. It carries overall odds of 1 in 3.74, so roughly one in every four tickets wins something, though the vast majority of those prizes are far smaller than the headline one. On ScratchCheck it earns a ValueScore™ of 81.7 out of 100, which lands in our Excellent range for a $50 ticket. You can see the current details on our $1,000,000 a Year for Life game page.

A $100,000 bonus for the store

The winner is not the only one who comes out ahead. Martin's will collect a $100,000 bonus from the Pennsylvania Lottery just for selling the winning ticket, a nice payday for the grocery store.

The lottery was also quick to note that there is no way to know in advance where a winner will turn up. "Scratch-Offs are distributed at random, meaning the Pennsylvania Lottery and its retailers do not know where winning tickets will be sold," officials said. "The Lottery learns where winning tickets are sold only after a prize has been claimed."

Annual payments or the lump sum?

It is the same decision nearly every big winner faces. The $1 million a year for life adds up to more over a long life, while the $14.5 million cash option is money in hand today. Which one is better depends on the winner's age, their plans, and taxes, and most big winners take the cash. If you have ever wondered how much of a prize like that the government keeps, we cover it in how lottery winnings are taxed.

For now, there is a $50 ticket somewhere in Franklin County worth a fortune, and a winner who might not even know it yet. Congratulations to whoever is holding it. If you play in Pennsylvania, you can compare the state's current scratch-offs on our Pennsylvania page.

Sources

WTAE: Pennsylvania grocery store customer wins $1 million a year for life on lottery ticket