Medical staff — ‘Million Dollar Medicals’ — win big Mega Millions prize in Pennsylvania

A group of medical workers — aptly named the “Million Dollar Medicals” — have received their commemorative $1 million check after winning a big lottery prize earlier this year.

The Mega Millions win was 20 years in the making, according to a Sept. 20 news release from the Pennsylvania Lottery.

Jackie Burdick, a spokesperson for the Million Dollar Medicals, said five medical workers starting playing the lottery together 20 years ago. Since then, the group has grown to 15 employees of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Burdick said she usually collects the money from her fellow group members, and on July 28, they “made a last-minute decision” to play in the evening Mega Millions drawing.

That decision paid off big. They had matched the five white balls — 5-10-28-52-63 — and won $1 million.

“This is the first time we won!” Burdick told lottery officials.

But she didn’t realize the group had won right away, according to the release.

“I was at a doctor’s appointment in Pittsburgh, when I saw on the news that someone won $1 million,” she said in the release. “Then a family member called me and said, ‘Someone in Smethport won! You better check your ticket.’ I was like, ‘I better check.’”

She scanned her ticket in the lottery app, officials said, and was told to “see a retailer.”

“When I scanned it at a retailer it showed, ‘Congratulations you won $1 million!’ I thought, ‘Oh my gosh this can’t be real. I have to call these girls!’” she recalled.

“I was in disbelief!” she continued. “I was jumping up and down, screaming, yelling and crying! I thought, ‘I can’t wait to tell everyone.’”

Each group member received a check for about $48,600 after taxes, according to lottery officials.

The winning ticket was sold at Nittany MinitMart in Smethport, about 175 miles north east of Pittsburgh.

This story was originally published September 21, 2023 at 11:40 AM with the headline "Medical staff — ‘Million Dollar Medicals’ — win big Mega Millions prize in Pennsylvania."