A group of small-town eastern Pennsylvanians who prefer to remain anonymous have claimed their prize from the $516 million Mega Millions drawing of May 21 — the largest jackpot won in state history.
PA Lottery officials announced Friday that the five-member group had two attorneys represent them in turning in the winning ticket, which was purchased at a 7-Eleven in Levittown, Bucks County. It was announced soon after the drawing that the convenience store had sold the winning ticket, but nothing was stated publicly about the winners until Friday.
The group has formed the Peace of Mind Trust as the entity that chose a lump-sum payment of $348.6 million, which after federal and state taxes is reduced to $254.2 million.
“This is life-changing generational money,” read to a joint statement provided by the group’s lawyers, Kurt Panouses of Florida and Christopher Mahoney of Pennsylvania. “The winners live in small communities in eastern Pennsylvania and desire to keep their lives as normal as possible. Maintaining anonymity is key to ensuring that normalcy.”
The prize is not only the biggest payout in Pennsylvania Lottery history, but the ninth-largest Mega Millions jackpot awarded since the game began in 2002. The prize pool grew during a three-month period without anyone claiming the top Mega Millions prize.
In a statement congratulating the winners, lottery Executive Director Drew Svitko said, “We tell our players all the time that it only takes one ticket to have a chance to win a life-changing jackpot, and this Mega Millions win is a reminder of that fact.”
The winning ticket had to match five white balls and the yellow Mega Ball chosen in the drawing. The odds of winning were 1 in 302 million.
Photo provided by Pennsylvania Lottery
