NEWEST MILLIONAIRE. TWO WEEKS AGO, DIANE BABIN SENT HER MOTHER ON A MISSION TO THIS SHOP AND SAVE IN THE TROPE, BUY A THERMOMETER FOR HER SICK SON AND SOME SCRATCH OFF TICKETS. MOM FORGOT THE THERMOMETER, BUT MADE A DECISION THAT NOW MADE THIS FAMILY MILLIONAIRES. IT’S SAFE TO SAY THE SHOCK STILL HASN’T WORN OFF, EVEN AS DIANE BABIN HELD THE CEREMONIAL CHECK FOR $1 MILLION. I DIDN’T EVEN, LIKE SCAN THE TICKET AT FIRST BECAUSE I WAS LIKE, IT’S NOT REAL. IT CAN’T EVEN BE REAL. BABBIT’S MOTHER, LAURA LEBLANC, BOUGHT THE TICKET AND STARTED SCRATCHING WHILE IN THE STORE ON THE HUNT FOR A THERMOMETER. SHE SAYS WHEN SHE REALIZED WHAT WAS HAPPENING, SHE CALLED DIANE AND TOLD HER SHE NEEDED TO GET TO THE STORE FAST. I FELT LIKE I WAS JUST GOING TO COLLAPSE. IN SHOCK. I MEAN, IT WAS LIKE YOU HEAR ABOUT IT, YOU KNOW, YOU DON’T PHYSICALLY SEE IT. AND SO I WAS I’M STILL IN SHOCK. I STILL IT’S STILL UNBELIEVABLE. WHILE DIANE AND LAURA TELL ME THEY PLAY THE LOTTERY ALL THE TIME. DIANE, A SINGLE MOTHER OF TWO, NOW FOCUSED ON HELPING HER KIDS THROUGH COLLEGE AND GIVING THE ENTIRE FAMILY A BETTER LIFE. IT STILL DOESN’T FEEL REAL, LIKE WENT THROUGH SHOPPING WITH MY BEST FRIEND YESTERDAY, YOU KNOW, THOUGHT 399 SHOES WERE TOO MUCH. SO I’M HOPING I CAN STILL LIVE THAT HUMBLY. ALL OF THIS BECAUSE GRANDMA WAS IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME, THANKS TO ONE OF THE LUCKIEST STOMACH BUCKS YOU’LL EVER SEE. ALL BECAUSE HE WASN’T FEELING WELL. THAT THAT TUMMY VIRUS MAN. OBVIOUSLY A NICE WIN FOR THE STORE HERE TOO. THEY GET A NICE BONUS AS WELL. DIANE SAYS SHE STILL PLANS TO DABBLE A LITTLE IN THE LOTTERY, BUT REALLY SHE’S JUST HAPPY TO BE ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF HER
Scratch-off lottery ticket reveals $1 million prize for Westmoreland County woman
Pa. Lottery congratulates big winner at Shop 'n Save in Latrobe
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Updated: 9:10 PM EDT May 24, 2023
The Pennsylvania Lottery says a single mother of two older children is the winner of a $1 million prize on a scratch-off ticket.Diane Babbin, of Westmoreland County, bought the ticket in the Millionaire Maker game at Shop 'n Save in Latrobe, lottery officials said.A ceremony to recognize the winner was held Wednesday at the grocery store on Dailey Avenue."I didn't even scan the ticket at first because I was like, 'It can't be real. This can't even be real,'" Babbin said.Babbin's mother, Laura Leblanc, bought the ticket and started scratching while in the store on the hunt for a thermometer. She said when she realized what was happening, she called Diane and told her she needed to get to the store fast."I felt like I was just going to collapse," Leblanc said. "Shock — you hear about it, you don't physically see it, and I'm still in shock. It's so unbelievable."Diane and Laura say they play the lottery regularly. Diane, a single mother of two, is now focused on helping her kids through college and giving the entire family a better life."It still doesn't feel real," Babbin said. "Went shopping with my best friend yesterday, thought $3.99 was too much. So hoping to still live that humbly." Millionaire Maker is a $20 game that offers top prizes of $1 million. The store receives a $5,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.Westmoreland County has been a lucky place for lottery players in recent weeks.In addition to Latrobe, winning tickets worth $1 million have been sold at a Greensburg newsstand and a North Huntingdon pharmacy. There was also a big winner in Hempfield Township, where a ticket sold at a Giant Eagle store split a $1.7 million jackpot with a second winner in Greene County.
LATROBE, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Lottery says a single mother of two older children is the winner of a $1 million prize on a scratch-off ticket.
Diane Babbin, of Westmoreland County, bought the ticket in the Millionaire Maker game at Shop 'n Save in Latrobe, lottery officials said.
A ceremony to recognize the winner was held Wednesday at the grocery store on Dailey Avenue.
"I didn't even scan the ticket at first because I was like, 'It can't be real. This can't even be real,'" Babbin said.
Babbin's mother, Laura Leblanc, bought the ticket and started scratching while in the store on the hunt for a thermometer. She said when she realized what was happening, she called Diane and told her she needed to get to the store fast.
"I felt like I was just going to collapse," Leblanc said. "Shock — you hear about it, you don't physically see it, and I'm still in shock. It's so unbelievable."
Diane and Laura say they play the lottery regularly. Diane, a single mother of two, is now focused on helping her kids through college and giving the entire family a better life.
"It still doesn't feel real," Babbin said. "Went shopping with my best friend yesterday, thought $3.99 was too much. So hoping to still live that humbly."
Millionaire Maker is a $20 game that offers top prizes of $1 million. The store receives a $5,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.
Westmoreland County has been a lucky place for lottery players in recent weeks.
In addition to Latrobe, winning tickets worth $1 million have been sold at a Greensburg newsstand and a North Huntingdon pharmacy. There was also a big winner in Hempfield Township, where a ticket sold at a Giant Eagle store split a $1.7 million jackpot with a second winner in Greene County.
