Area woman collects on Cash 5 lottery ticket win
DUNBAR _- Sandy Kolp, 40, of Lemont Furnace is a regular Cash 5 player, so it was nothing for her to stop at the Pennsylvania Lottery outlet on her way out of the grocery store at the Pechin Shopping Village on Sept. 30. She did her usual – let the machine pick her numbers for the Cash 5 game she usually plays.
But this time she won.
Tuesday, Kolp came back to Pechin’s where she collected a check for $85,088.80 from Pennsylvania Lottery representatives Terri Hopkins and Karen Bogucki. Kolp and another Pennsylvania resident got all five numbers right in the $233,120 jackpot.
That put Kolp’s share of the money at $116,560, but 27 percent of that amount is automatically taken out in taxes before winners get their checks, said Bogucki.
Kolp said this was her first big win, but noted she’s had luck with the popular scratch-off tickets.
Smiling widely, Kolp accepted her check and said she plans to put her newfound winnings into the bank. To commemorate the occasion, Pechin’s bakery prepared a cake, decorated like a check that was made out to “Sandy.”
Pechin’s owner Don Damico said he was happy to have the cake prepared in Kolp’s honor, since she has been the biggest winner from the store’s Pennsylvania Lottery outlet to date.
About three or four years ago, Damico said the store had a $40,000 winner on a scratch-off ticket, and a few years before that, another person won $75,000 on a Pennsylvania Lottery ticket.
Pechin’s employee Nancy Hyatt, who sold Kolp her winning ticket, said the store has offered Pennsylvania Lottery tickets to its customers for about 20 years.
Kolp’s win is the fourth time in a month Pennsylvania Lottery officials have been in the area to present Cash 5 awards, said Bogucki.
The first two presentations came to winners in Point Marion and Uniontown. About two weeks ago, a Carmichaels woman walked away with nearly $400,000 in Cash 5 winnings.
Although it seems that the area is buzzing with lucky people as of late, Bogucki attributed it to more people willing to have their winnings presented publicly. Many other people, she said, prefer not to announce their winnings, and just quietly collect their money.
But when people like Kolp agree to a presentation, Bogucki said everyone wins, including the retailer who sold the ticket because they get publicity.
Kolp, meanwhile, attended the presentation with several other people and smiled broadly throughout the program.
“This is just great,” she said.