A retired couple from Freeport have been identified as the winners of a $3.4 million Tri-State Megabucks jackpot.
The Maine Lottery on Monday said that Johnny and Joanne Desgrosseilliers purchased the ticket at the Circle K convenience store on Route 1 in Freeport, matching all six numbers in the April 29 drawing.
The couple are among four individuals who purchased winning tickets worth more than $1 million in Maine last month, Maine Lottery officials said.
Several other Maine players won lower-tier prizes during the same period, ranging in value from $30,000 to $100,000. Those winners include players from Harpswell, Buxton, Kittery, Waterville and Gardiner. A Standish man also won $200,000.
The face value of the winning Tri-State Megabucks ticket was $3.4 million, but instead of choosing to receive annual payments spread over 30 years, the couple elected to take the one-time cash option. After federal and state withholding taxes, they will be paid $1,283,342.
Lottery officials say there is no logical explanation for the spate of big winners over the last month or so.
“We have been on a positive roll lately, which is a good thing for our players. We’re finally getting our turn in the limelight,” said Tim Poulin, a spokesman for the Maine Lottery. “It doesn’t matter how much a person wins – these types of prizes can be a life-changing event.”
Circle K will receive $30,000 from the state for selling the winning ticket, and it is up to the store’s owner as to whether employees will receive a share.
Attempts to reach Johnny and Joanne Desgrosseilliers were unsuccessful Monday evening, but Poulin said he got a chance to meet them when they came to Augusta to claim their prize.
“I spoke briefly with (Joanne) and she said this was going to make their retirement a little more enjoyable,” Poulin said.
The couple joined two other people who won big prizes recently. In a statement released Monday, the Maine Lottery said that Harold Moores of Pittsfield won $2 million during the lottery’s $40 Million Fortune Event held April 28 at the Augusta Civic Center.
Roughly 5,000 people filled the civic center as the Maine Lottery gave away prizes valued at millions of dollars. Poulin said 1,400 attendees qualified to win the $2 million prize. Moores’ name was pulled out of a drum. Other prizes included a Ford Mustang convertible, a $10,000 cash prize and two John Deere tractors. The crowd gave Moores a standing ovation.
“We had a lot of people who went home happy that night,” Poulin said. “It’s always fun to see people win money.”
The Maine Lottery identified the other millionaire as John Gregg of Wells, who won $1 million in the lottery’s Ultimate Millions instant scratch game on April 13. Gregg purchased his winning ticket at the Lil Mart in Sanford.
In the Ultimate Millions game, when a player’s scratched numbers match any of the ticket’s winning numbers, the person wins the prize – in this case $1 million.
Lottery officials said a winning Powerball ticket worth $1 million was purchased Saturday at Leadbetter’s Super Stop in Bangor. The person who purchased that ticket has not yet come forward to claim the prize.
Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 791-6365 or at:
dhoey@pressherald.com
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