Somebody walking through a Giant Eagle in Crafton Borough may have grabbed far more than groceries. A Pennsylvania Lottery Cash 5 with Quick Cash ticket worth a cool $500,000 was sold at the Walsh Road store in Allegheny County and, as of now, the winner is still a ghost.
The winning ticket matched all five numbers in the July 7 drawing, and Lottery officials say the holder has yet to come forward. In the meantime, the announcement has sparked a mini frenzy among neighborhood regulars, with shoppers and staff alike double-checking pockets, purses and junk drawers.
According to KDKA Radio, the lucky numbers were 1, 7, 27, 30 and 35. Lottery officials will not publicly identify the winner until the ticket is validated, so anonymity is safe for now. KDKA notes that anyone who thinks they might be the winner should immediately sign the back of the ticket and call the Pennsylvania Lottery at 1-800-692-7481 to start the claims process. Jackpot winners have one year from the drawing date to file a claim, which means the clock is already ticking.
Where the ticket was purchased and the retailer bonus
As reported by Shore News Network, the winning Cash 5 with Quick Cash ticket was sold at the Giant Eagle on Walsh Road in Crafton Borough. The store gets a little win of its own, with a $500 retailer bonus for selling the jackpot ticket. Shore News adds that thousands of lower-tier Cash 5 prizes were also paid out in that same July 7 drawing, so plenty of other players walked away with something.
How winners claim and what to expect
The Pennsylvania Lottery’s winners guide spells out what happens after that rush of realizing you hit it big. Winners are instructed to sign the back of their ticket, keep it in a safe place and, for prizes over $600, complete a claim form and submit it through Lottery headquarters or one of the regional area offices. The guide also walks players through tax withholding, what documentation is needed and how long payment typically takes to process. The Lottery’s handbook and website list the same claims phone number and office addresses for anyone trying to navigate the process. The PA Lottery winners guide confirms that more than 12,500 other Cash 5 with Quick Cash tickets also won prizes in the July 7 drawing.
For now, though, that $500,000 jackpot is still sitting in limbo. If you bought a Cash 5 with Quick Cash ticket at the Crafton Giant Eagle around July 7, it might be time to check every coat pocket you own.
