A $20 holiday-themed scratch-off ticket just turned into a $1 million top prize for a Lorain woman, who says the windfall will help her and her fiancé finally buy their first home together. She chose the $500,000 lump-sum payout option and will walk away with about $366,250 after required withholdings.
Where the ticket was bought
The winner, identified as Emily Purcell, bought her winning $1,000,000 Holiday Wish ticket at the Valero convenience store at 3217 Oberlin Ave in Lorain, according to lottery officials. The ticket revealed the number 2 in the Holiday Wish play area, the match that signals a jackpot win, as reported by FOX 8 Cleveland.
Reaction and payout choice
In a release, the Ohio Lottery quoted Purcell saying she "kept reading the ticket because she didn’t believe what she was seeing." The same release confirmed she selected the $500,000 lump-sum cash option, with withholdings cutting that to roughly $366,250. The details of her claim were relayed by FOX 8 Cleveland.
Game details and odds
The $1,000,000 Holiday Wish is a $20 instant game with overall odds of about 1 in 3.46. ScratchSmarter, which aggregates Ohio Lottery data, lists the game’s prize tiers and the number of prizes remaining as reported by the lottery. According to ScratchSmarter, those figures are updated based on the state’s official game page.
Local impact
Purcell said she and her fiancé plan to use the money to buy a home, turning an instant win into a long-term milestone. The Valero where she bought the ticket will be listed as the official selling location on lottery records, and the big payout adds one more headline-making prize to Lorain’s recent run of good luck.
