Lottery winner saw ‘all of the zeroes’ on scanner. ‘I thought I was going to pass out’

A trip to a store to buy a drink for a friend paid off big for 26-year-old Oliver Golden, the Pennsylvania Lottery reported.

While at the store, the college student said he “felt inclined” to buy a “Game of Life” scratch-off ticket with a grand prize of $1,000 a week for life or $1 million, the lottery said in a Wednesday, March 13, news release.

“It’s my favorite board game,” Golden said. But he was in for a shock.

“When I checked the ticket with the scanner, I thought it was broken because I saw all of the zeroes!” Golden said, recounting his Feb. 21 win.

Golden, who said he thought he was “going to pass out,” called his friend with the news.

“Thanks for asking me to go buy you a drink because now I’m a millionaire!” Golden, who took the annuity, said he told his friend.

He said he plans to use part of the money to visit Disney World and Ireland, lottery officials said.

Golden purchased the winning ticket at a grocery store in Mount Carmel, which is about a 115-mile drive northwest from Philadelphia.

This story was originally published March 14, 2024 at 2:45 PM with the headline "Lottery winner saw ‘all of the zeroes’ on scanner. ‘I thought I was going to pass out’."