Altoona man reveals how he won the lottery 4 times to grab a total of $4.6 million
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Mike Luciano of Altoona won $1 million in the Pennsylvania Lottery after buying a winning $20 Extreme Green scratch-off ticket last Thursday.
The prizes keep coming from the Pennsylvania Lottery! This is the fourth time Mike Luciano, 55, has won a large lottery prize, and the third time in the last six years.
His happy history included a $3 million prize from another scratch-off ticket in 2016.
Luciano also won $500,000 in the State Lottery a year ago and $100,000 in 1999, bringing his Pennsylvania Lottery earnings to the grand total of $4.6 million.
Mike Luciano bought his latest winning ticket at Rutter's, a gas station and convenience store along Pennsylvania Route 764.
So how did he do it? He was quite frank about revealing his strategy.
After his 2021 win of $500,000 he told the Altoona Mirror that he was addicted to gambling.
He answered candidly, ““I’m convinced no one wins this many times without playing more than they should,” he said.
“This is unbelievable and I couldn’t be more thankful it’s happening to me — but I don’t want people to think it will happen to them,” Mike admitted.
Mike Luciano with his $3 million check in 2016 at the Pennsylvania Lottery. PHOTO: PA LOTTERY
The turkey was still roasting in the oven on Thanksgiving Day, 2016, when Mike stopped at Nic’s Grab ‘n Go in Altoona to cash in some winning tickets.
They added up to exactly $30, so he thought he’d play the $3 Million Spectacular instant game.
“I scratched the entire ticket pretty fast and didn’t notice right away that I had a number match,” Mike said to lottery officials, “so I just took the ticket right to the scanner.”
He was dumbfounded when the scanner read: “Congratulations, $3 million winner!”
With his winnings, Mike paid off bills, helped his kids with school and helped out his parents.
This week Luciano told the Altoona Mirror that for his current win he drove to the Pennsylvania State Lottery office in Clearfield to submit his ticket.
A spokesperson at the Pennsylvania Lottery office in Harrisburg said an announcement would be made after the paperwork was completed.
