Tony Corso spent $20 on Powerball during a Walmart pharmacy trip and discovered days later that one ticket had made him a millionaire
SOUTH UNION TOWNSHIP, PA – A trip to Walmart to pick up medication for his wife after she suffered a heart attack turned into a $1 million windfall for 65-year-old Tony Corso, who spent $20 on Powerball tickets while walking past a Lottery machine and ended up holding one of Pennsylvania’s biggest winning tickets from the July 25 drawing.
The Pennsylvania Lottery presented Corso, a Fayette County resident, with a commemorative $1 million check Thursday at the Walmart where he purchased the winning ticket.
Corso had gone to the Walmart at 355 Walmart Drive in South Union Township to pick up his wife’s prescription following her heart attack.
On his way out, he passed a Lottery machine and decided to spend $20 on Powerball tickets. The jackpot for the July 25 drawing stood at $600 million.
Corso, who said he typically plays when jackpots become large, checked his tickets the following Sunday morning.
One produced a message directing him to see a clerk.
Rather than immediately investigating further, Corso put the ticket back on his counter and waited until Monday.
He eventually checked the winning numbers on the Pennsylvania Lottery website with his wife beside him. That was when the couple realized the ticket was worth $1 million.
Corso had retired in May after operating a small tire business. The Lottery said the prize will now help his wife fully retire as well.
Her birthday is Friday, Sept. 11.
Corso said his wife’s health remains his priority following her heart attack. The couple also has seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
The $1 million ticket came from the July 25 Powerball drawing, when the jackpot had reached $600 million. Corso did not win the jackpot but secured the seven-figure prize.
Pennsylvania Lottery prizes exceeding $5,000 are subject to applicable withholding.
The Lottery presented Corso with the ceremonial check more than six weeks after the drawing, bringing him back to the same Walmart where an ordinary pharmacy trip produced an unexpected million-dollar detour.
Key Points
- Tony Corso, 65, of Fayette County won a $1 million Powerball prize with a ticket purchased during a trip to Walmart to pick up his wife’s prescription following her heart attack.
- Corso spent $20 on tickets at the South Union Township Walmart while the Powerball jackpot stood at $600 million.
- The recently retired tire business owner said the prize will help his wife fully retire following her health scare.