NEW YORK, N.Y. – New York Lottery spokesperson Yolanda Vega and Lottery representative Jenny Garcia today introduced ten new Lottery millionaires. The winners, consisting of Powerball, Mega Millions and scratch-off players, were presented with ceremonial oversized checks totaling $9,000,000.

Last Minute Powerball Purchase Earns Queens Man $1,000,000 Payday

Juan Rodriguez, 56, of Woodside, Queens waited until the day of the drawing to purchase his Powerball ticket for the record $590,500,000 jackpot.  Rodriquez proved that it’s never too late to be in it to win.  He matched the first five numbers from the historic May 18 drawing earning the retiree a $1,000,000 payday.

“I cut it pretty close there, but there was no way I wasn’t going to get a ticket,” explained Rodriguez.  “When I saw the numbers come up on television I recognized them immediately.”  Rodriguez used a combination of family birthdays to choose his winning numbers.

Rodriguez purchased his winning ticket at Ghanshyam on Roosevelt Avenue in Woodside.  He claimed his prize May 20 at the Lottery’s New York City Customer Service Center.  The $1,000,000 Powerball second prize is paid out as a one-time lump sum payment. Rodriguez will receive a net check totaling $623,048 after required withholdings.

“I plan to use the money to catch up on some bills and buy a house of my own,” gushed the newly minted millionaire.

The winning numbers from the May 18 Powerball drawing were 10-13-14-22-52 Powerball 11.

Dedicated Powerball Player Finally Hits the Big One

Jerome Moody, 65, of Fresh Meadows, Queens makes sure he has his tickets for both weekly Powerball drawings regardless of the size of the jackpot.  Moody scanned his ticket for the May 18 record breaking drawing on May 24 and received a message he had never seen before.  That’s when he realized he was holding a $1,000,000 winner.

“When I scanned the ticket at the store the display said ‘big winner,’” explained the ATM technician.  “I asked the clerk for a printout of the results and that’s when it really sunk in.”

Moody purchased his winning ticket at 7-Eleven on Francis Lewis Boulevard in Oakland Gardens.  He claimed his prize on May 24 at the Lottery’s New York City Customer Service Center.  The $1,000,000 Powerball second prize is paid out as a one-time lump sum payment. Moody will receive a net check totaling $623,040 after required withholdings.

“This win will allow me to catch up on my outstanding bills.  I’ll bank the rest for the future,” Moody said of his plans for the winnings.

The winning numbers from the May 18 Powerball drawing were 10-13-14-22-52 Powerball 11.

Bronx Man Plans to Take the Family to Disney with his $1,000,000 Powerball Win

Jose Gonzalez, 43, of the Bronx makes sure he has his tickets every week for both the Powerball and Mega Millions drawings.  All it took was one set of Quick Pick numbers for the May 18 record setting Powerball drawing to make the Cablevision network technician an instant millionaire.

“When I finally checked my numbers I knew right away that I won a million dollars,” explained Gonzalez.  “I was definitely shocked, but very happy with the win.”

Gonzalez purchased his winning ticket at Seven Brothers Mini Mart on Hoe Avenue in the Bronx.  He claimed his prize on May 28 at the Lottery’s New York City Customer Service Center.  The $1,000,000 Powerball second prize is paid out as a one-time lump sum payment. Gonzalez will receive a net check totaling $623,040 after required withholdings.

“I know exactly what we’re going to do with the winning.  We’re taking the kids to Disney!” explained Gonzalez, a father of five.

The winning numbers from the May 18 Powerball drawing were 10-13-14-22-52
Powerball 11.

Infrequent Lottery Player from the Bronx Takes a Chance on Powerball and Wins $1,000,000

Steven Rymer, 23, of the Bronx doesn’t normally play the Lottery.  The huge Powerball jackpot for the May 18 drawing convinced him that he should buy a ticket.  The ticket he purchased matched the first five numbers drawn that night earning the recent college graduate a $1,000,000 payday.

“I don’t normally play Powerball, only when the jackpot gets really high,” said Rymer.  “I was in the store and the woman in front of me was checking her tickets.  I realized I had my ticket on me and decided to scan it.  When it said ‘big winner’ I didn’t really know what it meant.  The clerk had to tell me I just won $1,000,000.”

Rymer purchased his winning ticket at Met Food Supermarket on East 167^th Street in the Bronx.  He claimed his prize on May 21.  The $1,000,000 Powerball second prize is paid out as a one-time lump sum payment. Rymer will receive a net check totaling $623,040 after required withholdings. 

“This win couldn’t have come at a better time.  I plan to use it to buy an apartment and new car.  Eventually I’d also like to open up my own business,” explained Rymer.

The winning numbers from the May 18 Powerball drawing were 10-13-14-22-52 Powerball 11.

Friends that Play Together, Win Together; Trio hits $2,000,000 Powerball Prize

Kim Johnson, 54, of Brooklyn and Kory Stewart, 48, of Warwick, Orange County work together at the Department of Sanitation and routinely play Powerball along with their friend Cheryll Wright, 58, of Brooklyn.  The trio pooled their money together for the May 18 drawing and matched the first five numbers earning them a $2,000,000 windfall.

“I was the one that bought our Powerball tickets for that particular drawing,” explained Johnson.  “I scanned the ticket and at first thought we hit for $1,000,000.  It wasn’t until later that I remembered I played Power Play and the prize was actually $2,000,000!”

Johnson purchased their winning ticket at KP Novelty on 6th Avenue in Manhattan.  The group claimed their prize on May 20 at the Lottery’s New York City Customer Service Center.  The $1,000,000 Powerball second prize is paid out as a one-time lump sum payment. After required withholdings Johnson and Wright will each receive a net check totaling $415,359.  Stewart’s portion of the winnings will total $441,199.

Johnson said he plans to use his portion of the winnings to take care of family and purchase a condo.  Stewart will use his winnings to pay off his mortgage and take care of his daughter’s education.  Wright is already planning a vacation to Las Vegas with part of her portion.

The winning numbers from the May 18 Powerball drawing were 10-13-14-22-52 Powerball 11.

Brooklyn Man Learns He’s $1,000,000 Richer after Returning from Month Long Vacation

Carlton McKenzie, 46, of Mill Basin, Brooklyn didn’t want to miss out on his chance to win Mega Millions while on a month long vacation to Florida.  The MTA maintenance worker purchased his month long advanced play ticket prior to leaving to ensure he didn’t miss a drawing.  McKenzie checked his tickets upon his return and was surprised to learn he had won a $1,000,000 prize.

“I was surprised, but not the jumping up and down kind of surprised,” explained the modest millionaire.  “I played a combination of family birthdays and of course I always play Megaplier.”  Choosing the Megaplier option turned what would have been a $250,000 win into a $1,000,000 windfall.

McKenzie purchased his winning ticket at Sandollar Liquor on Ralph Avenue in Brooklyn.  He claimed his prize on May 20 at the Lottery’s Garden City Customer Service Center.  The $1,000,000 Mega Millions Megaplier second prize is paid out as a one-time lump sum payment. McKenzie will receive a net check totaling $623,070 after required withholdings.

McKenzie plans to use his prize to pay bills and maybe buy a new car.  “A Mercedes might be nice this time around.”

The winning numbers from the April 12 Mega Millions drawing were 1-10-13-19-21 Mega Ball 28.

Queens Woman Opts for Prism Payout Scratch-Off Ticket after Reading about Another Winner’s Good Fortune

Maria Lacson, 53, of Queens likes to buy scratch-off tickets during her lunch breaks.  She remembered seeing a story on the Lottery’s Web site about a woman that had won $1,000,000 on the Prism Payout ticket.  Lacson used a portion of the $50 she had won on some Lottery tickets earlier that day and decided to purchase a Prism Payout ticket of her own.  That ticket turned out to be a $1,000,000 winner.

“I scratched the ticket outside of the store and won on the first number I scratched.  I immediately called my husband to come pick me up,” recalled Lacson.  Later that day, Lacson and her husband went out to eat.  “I was afraid he would start screaming when I told him the news, so I took him outside to the patio to tell him.”

Lacson purchased her winning ticket May 16 at News Corner on 3^rd Avenue in Manhattan.  She claimed her prize May 17 at the Lottery’s New York City Customer Service Center.  Lacson took advantage of the new Lottery payment option and chose to receive her $1,000,000 jackpot prize in one lump sum instead of 20 annual payments totaling $1,000,000 as the ticket was designed to pay out.  She will receive her prize as a one-time payment totaling $820,000 (net $510,893.)

“I plan to keep it simple when it comes to my plans for the winnings.  My husband wants to see Niagara Falls so we might make a trip out there,” she explained.

$1,000,000 Scratch-Off Win Brings Tears of Joy to Staten Island Woman

Barbara Bell, 59, of Staten Island had tears in her eyes as she scratched a Jumbo Bucks Lottery ticket.  The tears of joy were brought about by one simple word, jackpot.  Bell scratched off the winning combination earning her the $1,000,000 top prize.

“I cried,” Bell explained when asked how she reacted when she realized she had just won $1,000,000.  “I thought there was something wrong with the ticket.  I didn’t believe it was real.”

Bell purchased her winning ticket May 13 at Richmond Auto Center on Richmond Avenue in Staten Island.  She claimed her prize May 17 at the Lottery’s New York City Customer Service Center.  Bell took advantage of the new Lottery payment option and chose to receive her $1,000,000 jackpot prize in one lump sum instead of 20 annual payments totaling $1,000,000 as the ticket was designed to pay out.  She will receive her prize as a one-time payment totaling $840,000 (net $523,354.)

“My plans are pretty basic, like pay off some bills,” explained Bell.  “We are still going to be the way we are.”

The New York Lottery contributed $1,200,599,252.62 in Lottery Aid To Education to school districts throughout the five boroughs during fiscal year 2012-2013.

The New York Lottery contributed $76,833,349.97 in Lottery Aid To Education to school districts throughout Orange County during fiscal year 2012-13.

About the New York Lottery

The New York Lottery continues to be North America’s largest and most profitable Lottery, contributing $3.04 billion in fiscal year 2012-2013 to help support education in New York State.  The Lottery’s contribution represents 15 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.

About the New York State Gaming Commission

The New York State Gaming Commission regulates all aspects of gaming and gambling activity in the state, including horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering, class III Indian gaming, video lottery terminal facilities at race tracks, the state lottery and charitable gaming.