Pennsylvania Lottery
Brushes with celebrities are not foreign to her, but "surreal" encounter had her starstruck
By Kate Northrop
A Pennsylvania woman wasn't expecting much when she entered a lottery ticket into a second-chance drawing, but the result blew her away and left her with memories she'll never forget.
It pays to enter your lottery tickets in additional drawings, and it's thanks to the simple act that one Pennsylvania player was able to partake in a Super Bowl experience that had her brushing shoulders with some of her favorite celebrities, getting a top-rated spot in the stadium, and living it up in first class luxury.
Joanne Dimitt and her husband, Mike, have been married for 28 years. Their similar career path meant prioritizing grueling early morning shifts and inventory sheets over comfort and glamor.
"We're retired now, but we both worked in the car rental industry," Dimitt told the Pennsylvania Lottery. "Then the phone rang. It was the Lottery. They told me I had won. At first, I didn't even want to go. I was nervous. It felt too big, too fancy, too much. But Mike looked at me and said, 'We're going.' And I'm so glad he did."
Dimitt had entered a non-winning draw game ticket in the Pennsylvania Lottery's "The Big Game" second-chance drawing, which gave six lucky players and a guest each the opportunity to experience the best of what this year's Super Bowl in Santa Clara, California had to offer.
"Everything — from the moment we arrived to the minute we left — felt first class," Dimitt recalled. "We stayed in a hotel where the Seahawks were staying across the street. After the Hall of Fame luncheon, we went to Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, just walking around and taking it all in. The ocean air, the noise, the excitement — it felt like a movie."
The prize included round-trip, coach-class airfare, a four-night hotel stay, ground transportation, dinner on the night of arrival, two tickets to the Pro Football Hall of Fame's annual Merlin Olsen Luncheon, two SBXTRA tickets to the NFL Experience, two tickets to the Official Hall of Fame Pre-Game Tailgate, two tickets to the 2026 Championship Game, and $1,000 in spending money.
Dimitt has had several neat run-ins with notable characters through her work, but brushing shoulders with former Pittsburgh Steelers Wide Receiver and Pro Football Hall of Famer Lynn Swann at the luncheon left her starstruck.
"I'm a lifelong Steelers fan, so sitting there, just a few feet away from him, felt surreal," she added.
The prize ensured that Dimitt and her husband were well-fed. Not only was the sheer quantity of the food something to write home about, but the quality was worth raving about, too.
"The first night we had a feast at a Brazilian steakhouse," she continued. "Lobster, endless cuts of meat — I couldn't believe it. I remember thinking, 'I almost didn't come.' And there I was, laughing with Mike, feeling like royalty."
But all these luxuries were merely leading up to the main event, which, if even possible, continued to exceed the couple's expectations.
"Then came the moment we walked up to Levi's Stadium," Dimitt related. "I looked at Mike and said, 'Oh my gosh... we're heading to the Super Bowl.' The energy outside was electric. We had a private tailgate before the game — velvet ropes, couches, everything roped off. It felt like we were celebrities. We even had those wrist tags that fast-tracked us through the lines.
Throughout their trip, they were transported to their destination on a party bus beside the five other winners in the second-chance drawing and made long-lasting friendships along the way.
"Inside the stadium, we assumed our seats would not be close to the field, but we were wrong," Dimitt said in a press release. "When we got to our section, we realized we had good seats. Really good seats. The crowd roared, fireworks exploded overhead, and the energy was something I'll never forget."
Astoundingly, this is the second time she had won a top prize in a second-chance drawing from the Pennsylvania Lottery. However, this is truly the first time she has ever been able to indulge in the one-in-a-lifetime experience.
"Years ago, we won tickets to see American Idol, but I chose the cash option because we needed a new furnace and air conditioning," she explained. "But that was the year Carrie Underwood won. It would have been awesome to see, but we needed some home renovations."
Reflecting on her career in the car rental industry, Dimitt recalled how the business meant running into several notable figures.
"We used to see Mark Zuckerberg come through," she noted. "One time, Loni Anderson and her son rented a car. We saw Franco Harris. And I'll never forget when our manager told me Dwight Yoakam was coming in and asked, 'How would you like to bring his Cadillac to him?' I love country music, so that was a thrill all on its own! Of course I got an autograph. He was very nice."
But since the Lottery had the chance to catch up with her after her and her husband's trip, she could say for certain that those instances paled in comparison to that unforgettable journey.
"And I still can't believe it," the winner said. "I'm just so glad I went."
News story photo(Click to display full-size in gallery)Joanne is pictured on the right, with her husband Mike.