An 87-year-old Berks Countian received a commemorative $10,000 check for winning a top prize on a lottery scratch-off ticket.
Alfred Behney won the prize in the $10,000 a Month for Life Scratch-Off ticket, officials said Friday during the check presentation at lottery headquarters in Middletown.
Behney, a retired truck driver, said in a release that he likes to frequent Amish or Mennonite farm stands to see what fresh produce he can snag. During those trips, he says he stops by a local gas station to pick up some coffee and a scratch-off tickets.
Behney said he bought this winning ticket on May 27 at Star Gas & Diesel, 8558 Lancaster Ave., Bethel Township.
Officials said the retailer will receive a $10,000 selling bonus.
“I’ve been playing Scratch-Offs for years, especially as a truck driver,” Behney said.
Behney said he found out he won a top prize after scanning the ticket at the retailer.
“The clerk and I scanned it and we both just stood there, looking at each other. We didn’t believe it,” said Behney. “I thought, ‘There’s got to be something wrong.’”
Behney opted for the annuity option. The cash prize is a lump sum of $1.6 million.
Behney said he didn’t always live in Berks.
“I grew up in Schuylkill County where I was an all-star athlete in school,” he said, adding that he also served in the Army after the Korean War.
And that’s not all.
“In 1961, I signed a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers in Montgomery, Alabama,” he said. “I made $300 a month. My parents had to send me money. But it was such a great experience.”