Twenty-nine-year-old Jeremy Stark of Selkirk is the first New York Lottery player to claim a prize of $1M or more in 2019 and the last to claim a top prize on the $5,000,000 Bankroll scratch-off game. The work-from-home insurance professional said his win represents a mix of luck and something else.

“I went to the store to buy a frozen pizza for dinner. It’s not a store I usually go to but I was in the area so I stopped. I went to the Lottery vending machine on the way out to get a ticket I’ve been lucky on lately, but it was sold out so I got this one instead. Put those things together and I think that’s what they call fate – everything happens for a reason,” Stark explained.

Stark said he scratched his $5 million winner the following morning while sitting at the kitchen table.

“I saw a match on the number 33 before I scratched off the prize amount. I checked the numbers another five or six times and then let out a big ‘YES!’ before calling my dad.”

Stark will receive his prize as a one-time lump-sum payment.  He will receive a net check totaling $3,359,000 after required withholdings.

The father of two said he planned to continue working but was leaving his options open. 

“I definitely plan to buy or build a house in the area because this is where my children are. After that, I’ll consider my possibilities.”

The winning ticket was purchased at Shop N Save at 2481 Route 9W in Ravena.

The New York Lottery contributed $45,086,207.50 in Lottery Aid to Education to school districts in Albany County during fiscal year 2017-2018.

About the New York Lottery

The New York Lottery continues to be North America’s largest and most profitable Lottery, contributing $3.37 billion in fiscal year 2017-2018 to help support education in New York State. The Lottery’s contribution represents approximately 13 percent of total state education aid to local school districts.

New York Lottery revenue is distributed to local school districts by the same statutory formula used to distribute other state aid to education. It takes into account both a school district’s size and its income level; larger, lower-income school districts receive proportionately larger shares of Lottery school funding.

New Yorkers struggling with a gambling addiction, or who know someone who is, can find help by calling the State's toll-free, confidential HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY (1-877-846-7369) or by texting HOPENY (467369).