By Montserrat Arqué
08 Mar 2024, 12:24 PM EST
Jake Parkinson, a 26-year-old from Pennsylvania, was never a regular lottery player, but a spontaneous decision earlier this year led him to change his luck. Now, this man is starting the year as a millionaire, grateful for taking a chance at that crucial moment.
“I mean, I had to be there at that exact moment to buy it,” Parkinson said of his lottery win that netted him a $1 million dollar prize. “If it had been a second later, a minute later, a minute earlier, I wouldn’t have gotten that exact number. It was great. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” she added.
Parkinson, who works as a FedEx driver, doesn’t remember why he decided to buy that specific ticket, but he’s grateful he did. The ticket for the “New Year’s Millionaire Raffle” was purchased at Sheetz on New Castle Road in Butler. The store will receive a $5,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.
According to the Pennsylvania Lottery, the Jan. 6 drawing awarded 6,000 cash prizes totaling more than $5 million. Lottery officials report that the game has created 136 new millionaires, including Parkinson, since its debut in 2005.
On Wednesday, lottery officials presented this FedEx delivery man with the coveted giant check that symbolizes his newfound wealth.
The newly minted millionaire has clear plans for his fortune. He plans to liquidate his house and invest the rest for an early retirement.
“I still can’t believe it,” Parkinson said. “You always want it to happen, but you never think it will happen. And once it happens, I just couldn’t believe it.”
Parkinson’s story is a reminder of how a spontaneous decision can dramatically change a person’s life. His unexpected lottery win leads to a more secure financial future and the realization of his dreams of early retirement.
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