Lottery Winner Waits Till Deadline To Claim $1 Million Prize 'Just Because'

A Sterling man redeemed his $1 million Virginia lottery ticket four days before the prize money was set to expire.

Virginia lottery officials said Aaron Monsey, who works as a carpenter, bought the winning ticket nearly six months ago at Sterling Park Exxon (formerly Getty Mart) at 209 East Holly Avenue in Sterling. He returned to the gas station Dec. 15 to receive his check from the Virginia Lottery. The store also received a check for $10,000 for selling the winning ticket.

Monsey used Easy Pick, allowing a computer to randomly generate the numbers on his ticket. Had he matched all six numbers, Monsey would have won an estimated $60 million jackpot.

Monsey’s ticket matched the first five numbers of the June 21 Powerball drawing. He discovered the next day he had purchased the winning ticket.

“There wasn’t any yelling or screaming,” he told Virginia lottery officials, according to a press release.

By law, Virginia lottery tickets expire 180 days after each drawing. Monsey’s ticket was set to expire Thursday.

When asked why he waited so long to redeem his prize, Monsey told lottery officials, “Just because...”

Powerball drawings are held at 10:59 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays. They are broadcast on TV stations across Virginia and live on www.valottery.com. For more information on Powerball, visit www.powerball.com.

Image: Lottery winner Aaron Monsey of Sterling. Courtesy of Virginia Lottery