Lady Luck smiles on Westmoreland, Allegheny lottery players through scratch-off winnings

The wallets of hundreds of Allegheny and Westmoreland county residents got a little thicker last month after a slew of players won thousands of dollars through scratch-off lottery tickets.

In Westmoreland, one person won a $500,000 top prize, with two others winning $250,000, according to the Pennsylvania Lottery. Two people in Allegheny won $150,000.

“It’s important to remember that Pennsylvania Lottery prizes are distributed randomly throughout each game, meaning the chances of winning are not influenced by where a ticket is sold,” said Ewa Swope, a lottery spokeswoman. “What may seem like a cluster of wins in a certain area is more likely just pure luck.”

Last month, almost 5,000 Pennsylvanians won $1,000 or more from scratch-off tickets. Of those, 200 were in Westmoreland and more than 450 were in Allegheny County.

The majority of winners in October received $1,000 or $3,000. There were 18 people who won $10,000; three who won $13,000; one person won $18,000; four won $20,000; one person won $30,000; three won $50,000; there were eight prizes of $100,000; two of $150,000; four of $250,000; and three each of $300,000 and $500,000.

This is not the first time the region has had a slew of luck.

In June, there were three scratch-off players that won prizes of $250,000 or more. In May, two people won $20,000 or more. In addition to Westmoreland, a $3 million scratch-off ticket and two worth $100,000 were claimed in Fayette County, while a $1 million prize surfaced at the UPMC Mercy Gift Shop in Pittsburgh.

Prior to that, one person each in Westmoreland and Allegheny county won $250,000 in April. In March, two people in Westmoreland won $500,000 each.

“As would be expected with random distribution, regions with larger numbers of players tend to have a proportionate ratio of players winning,” Swope said. “This does not mean those regions are any ‘luckier’ than other areas.”

Still, the popularity of scratch-off tickets has been on the rise, with ticket sales gradually increasing since 2017, lottery figures show. This year, scratch-off tickets generated $3.7 billion, accounting for 71% of sales. Popularity is expected to increase in December as holiday-themed tickets are released, Swope said.