Lyndhurst man wins $50K lottery prize the day before surgery

RICHMOND HEIGHTS, Ohio (WJW) – A Lyndhurst man getting ready for an upcoming surgery received a “pleasant surprise” when he recently won $50,000 from a scratch-off ticket.

According to Ohio Lottery , Thomas Centa purchased the “Billion” scratch-off ticket from the Discount Tobacco & Beverage store on Richmond Road in Richmond Heights.

“I was going in for surgery the next day and I was trying to kill time and I figured I’d go over and play some instant lottery, to take my mind off the pending surgery,” he told lottery officials.

Centa was taken aback when he checked the ticket.

“My first thought was, ‘Did I see $500 or $500,000?’” he said. “Then, I had the pleasant surprise. I hit for $50,000.”

After state and federal taxes, the lucky winner will receive about $36,000.

Centa told Ohio Lottery he plans to give some of his prize money to family members, pay some bills and save the rest of it.

The $50 scratch-off game still has 155 remaining prizes worth $50,000, as of Monday night. Learn more about the lottery game and others here .

So, where do the major lottery jackpots stand? As of Monday night, the Mega Millions jackpot is $226 million and the Powerball jackpot is $64 million.

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