A lucky ticket and a fitting name led to a life changing win for Erie County’s Gary Winner, who was presented with a commemorative check from the Pennsylvania Lottery after hitting a $1.16 million Cash 5 with Quick Cash jackpot.

The ticket, purchased at the Giant Eagle on West 12th Street in Millcreek Township, was one of two that split the June 9 jackpot.

Winner, 64, said he decided to buy $20 worth of Quick Pick tickets when he saw the Cash 5 jackpot had climbed above $2 million. “I thought, ‘Why not?’” he recalled.

His gamble paid off. While scanning his tickets at a self-checkout machine, Winner realized he’d hit it big. “I had to take a deep breath,” he said. “I showed a customer who walked in and he said, ‘Holy cow, looks like you did!’”

After calling his wife, Sherry, the two celebrated a win that will help fund her retirement, pay for some long-awaited home renovations, and add a few extra rounds of golf for Gary, who still works part-time at a golf shop.

The Giant Eagle that sold the winning ticket will receive a $10,000 bonus, which the store plans to donate to Meals on Wheels Erie, supporting the organization’s mission to feed homebound seniors across the county.

“This story really embodies what the Lottery is all about,” said Pennsylvania Lottery Executive Director Drew Svitko. “Life-changing wins for players, critical funding for seniors, and great community partners like Giant Eagle paying it forward.”

The other half of the jackpot-winning ticket was sold at a 7-Eleven in Butler County and remains unclaimed.