A routine dinner with her children turned into a life-changing experience for a Fayette County woman who won $1 million on a Pennsylvania Lottery Scratch-Off ticket.
Brittnee Boot, a single mother of three, bought the winning “$1,000,000 Winnings” ticket on March 19 at Foster House II in Belle Vernon, just after she and her children finished their supper. Officials from the Pennsylvania Lottery presented her with a ceremonial check on Wednesday at the exact spot where the ticket was purchased.
Boot detailed the moment she discovered she had won, claiming she thought she was imagining it. She quickly contacted her sister and then went to the Lottery Office in Pittsburgh to file the claim. During the visit, she offered to split the award with her sister, but she declined.
The Pennsylvania Lottery validated the victory and stated that all rewards greater than $5,000 are subject to appropriate withholding. Foster House II, the retailer where the ticket was purchased, received a $5,000 bonus for selling the highest-priced ticket.
The “$1,000,000 Winnings” ticket is a $20 scratch-off game with top rewards of $1 million. According to the Pennsylvania Lottery, these tickets are dispersed at random, and neither the Lottery nor the retailers know where the winning tickets will be sold ahead of time.
Officials stressed that lottery revenues continue to have an impact on programs that serve older Pennsylvanians throughout the state. March is also known as Problem Gambling Awareness Month, and the Lottery reminded gamblers about free and confidential help resources.