Lottery player waits days to check ticket — then looks it over 10 times in disbelief

A man who won a huge Pennsylvania lottery jackpot made a quick call to his twin brother — after checking over his ticket 10 times.

“My brother said, ‘Well, he’s either sick or he hit the lottery,’” 70-year-old Michael Matyas, of Washington County, told Pennsylvania Lottery officials in an Aug. 20 news release.

It was the latter, as Matyas won a $1 million prize playing the Quick Cash game, lottery officials said. He purchased the ticket at a convenience store in Washington County the same day as the July 19 drawing.

But he didn’t know about his new fortunes until two days later when he finally checked the ticket.

“I was very surprised when I checked the ticket that Sunday,” Matyas said. “I had to look at the ticket about 10 times before believing it.”

Matyas then called his brother and told him to come over, but he didn’t reveal why until he saw his twin in person.

He plans on using the winnings to “help his children, pay off bills and spend more time enjoying his favorite hobby, golfing,” lottery officials said.

“I’m still taking it all in,” the winner said. “This whole experience has been fantastic.”

Odds of winning the jackpot prize are 1 in 962,598.

Washington County is about a 35-mile drive southwest from Pittsburgh.

This story was originally published August 21, 2024 at 3:28 PM with the headline "Lottery player waits days to check ticket — then looks it over 10 times in disbelief."