Pa. Lottery: $1 million winning tickets sold at 3 Pittsburgh-area locations (2024)

WOULD BE USED AS EVIDENCE. FRIEN’S PARENTS WERE NEVER CHARGED IN CONNECTION WITH THEIR SON’S CRIME AND POLICE SAY NONE OF THEIR WEAPONS WERE USED. KELLY: TIME NOW FOR THIS WEEK’S ASK KELLY SEGMENT. TODAY’S QUESTION COMES FROM DONNA NIPAR OF BETHEL PARK. >> I WANTED TO ASK KELLY HOW DOES THE LOTTERY KNOW WHERE A WINNING LOTTERY TICKET WAS SOLD BEFORE THE WINNER COMES FORWARD? KELLY: IN OUR CORRESPONDENCES DONNA TOLD ME SHE WAS REFERRING TO THE PENNSYLVANIA LOTTERY. SPECIFICALLY A CASH-CORNER SCRATCH-OFF WORTH A MILLION DOLLARS SOLD IN GREENSBURG WESTMORELAND COUNTY. HER CONCERN IS IF THE LOTTERY KNOWS WHERE AND WHEN THE WINNING SCRATCH-OFF WAS SOLD BEFORE ITS CLAIMED, DOES THAT MEAN THE TICKETS ESSENTIALLY AREN’T RANDOM? WE TOOK HER CONCERNS TO LOTTERY OFFICIALS TO FIND OUT. >> SCRATCH OFFS ARE DISTRIBUTED RANDOMLY AND SO WE ARE NEVER THE LOTTERY AND ITS RETAILERS WE DON’T KNOW WHERE THE WINNING TICKETS ARE LOCATED. >> EWA SWOPE PRESS SECRETARY WITH THE PA LOTTERY WANTED TO CLAIFY THIS RIGHT OFF-THE-TOP. THE LOTTERY DOES NOT KNOW WHERE WINNING SCRATCH OFFS ARE SOLD UNTIL THE WINNER FILES A CLAIM. >> THE LOTTERY NEVER KNOWS WHEN A WINNING SCRATCH-OFF TICKET HAS BEEN SOLD. UNTIL THAT WINNER COMES TO OUR OFFICE AND SAYS HEY I WON A SCRATCH-OFF TICKET AND FILES A CLAIM. KELLY: THAT WAS THE CASE WITH THE WESTMORELAND TICKET. THE PA LOTTERY’S PRESS RELEASE ANNOUCING A WINNER WENT OUT AFTER THE WINNER HAD COME FORWARD. BUT SCRATCH-OFFS ONLY MAKE UP ONE SECTOR OF THE LOTTERY’S OFFERINGS. THEY ALSO HAVE FAST PLAY DRAW GAMES KENO AND EXPRESS SPORTS TO NAME A FEW. AND FOR SOME OF THOSE THEY DO KNOW MORE INFORMATION. >> AND SO FOR DRAW GAMES WE DO KNOW WHERE WINNING TICKETS ARE SOLD. WE MAY NOT KNOW WHO THE WINNER IS SPECIFICALLY AT THAT TIME. BUT WE DO KNOW WHERE THAT TICKET WAS SOLD UNTIL THE PLAYER CLAIMS THE PRIZE. AND THEN WE KNOW WHO THE WINNER IS. KELLY: THE EXCEPTION TO THIS? ONLINE PLAY. TO SET UP A VERIFIED ACCOUNT YOU HAVE TO GIVE OVER YOUR NAME. AND IF YOU WIN THE LOTTERY KNOWS WHO YOU ARE RIGHT AWAY. ALSO IN PENNSYLVANIA LOTTERY WINNERS CANNOT REMAIN ANONYMOUS. >> CERTAIN INFORMATION IS PRIVVY TO THE PUBLIC. BUT THIS ENSURES TO THE PUBLIC THAT THE LOTTERY OPERATES WITH INTEGRITY AND TRANSPARENCY. AND IT LETS THE PUBLIC KNOW THAT REAL PEOPLE REALLY DO WIN THE LOTTERY. KELLY: WESTMORELAND COUNTY HAS BEEN HIT WITH SOME LADY LUCK THIS YEAR. ALSO THIS SUMMER, A $206.9 MILLION POWERBALL JACKPOT TICKET WAS SOLD AT THE SHEETZ IN NEW STANTON. AND AGAIN BECAUSE IT WAS A DRAW GAME, THE LOTTERY KNEW RIGHT AWAY WHEN AND WHERE THE TICKET WAS SOLD. YOU MAY ALSO HEAR THE P.A. LOTTERY BOAST THAT IT BENFITS OLDER PENNSYLVANIANS EVERY DAY. I ASKED THEM EXACTLY HOW THAT WORKS. >> FOR OVER 50 YEARS SINCE THE FIRST TICKET WAS SOLD THE PA LOTTERY HAS GENERATED MORE THAN $33.8 BILLION TO HELP SENIORS OF THE COMMONWEALTH. OLDER RESIDENTS. IT’S WITH THINGS LIKE PRESCRIPTION DRUG ASSISTANCE , PROPERTY TAX RENT REBATE HELP , TRANSPORTATION AND FREE MEALS. THINGS OF THAT NATURE. KELLY: THE PA LOTTERY SAYS IT IS THE ONLY STATE LOTTERY TO DIRECT ALL ITS PROCEEDS TO HELP AN OLDER AUDIENCE. IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION I CAN GET ANSWERED FOR YOU LET ME KNOW. YOU CAN LEAVE A VOICE MESSAGE AT OR YOU CAN JUMP STRAIGHT IN AND SEND ME A VIDEO MESSAGE. YOU CAN SHARE THAT WITH ME IN A FACEBOOK MESSAGE.