For Immediate Release:                                         Contact: Communications Office

August 19, 2014                                                        (518) 388-3415

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JOHNSON CITY, N.Y. – The New York Lottery’s Gretchen Dizer today introduced Broome County’s first ‘for life” CASH4LIFE winner and a $1,000,000 scratch-off winner from Port Crane who received his Lottery prize as a birthday gift.

Jane Downey, of Binghamton, is Broome County’s first person to claim a CASH4LIFE jackpot prize. Downey matched all six numbers from the July 21 drawing earning her $1,000 a day for life. The retired Binghamton City School District employee credits her good fortune to the New York’s Lottery’s advertising of the new CASH4LIFE game.

“I was on my way home after taking care of my horses and I stopped to buy a pack of gum,” Downey explained. “I remember seeing the Lottery’s ads on TV. So I bought a Quick Pick ticket for the next day’s drawing and left the store without really thinking about it.”

Downey purchased her ticket on Sunday, July 20 at the Runway Food Mart at 143 Riverside Drive in Johnson City.

The morning after the drawing, Downey remembered her ticket and decided to check her numbers. “I checked the numbers on my iPad and thought someone was playing a trick on me because the numbers I had and the numbers I was looking at all matched. It was like looking in the mirror,” said Downey.

So Downey went to the store to check her ticket in the Lottery ticket checker machine. Downey said, “I didn’t understand the message that came up on the checker. So I gave the ticket to the retailer who showed me the message he got on his screen and it said ‘$365,000 a year for life.’”

Downey claimed her Lottery prize on July 31 at the Lottery’s Syracuse customer service center. She opted to receive the cash value of her for life prize and will receive a one-time payment totaling $4,632,600 after required withholdings. Downey said she doesn’t have any specific plans for the money right now other than to pay some bills. She wants to take some time to think about it.

The winning numbers from the July 21 CASH4LIFE drawing were 04-06-11-24-31 Cash Ball 3.

CASH4LIFE is an exclusive multistate draw game offering players in New York two chances for lifetime prizes with the purchase of a single $2 ticket. Players who match the first five numbers and the Cash Ball win $1,000 a day for life. Players who match only the first five numbers win $1,000 a week for life. CASH4LIFE drawings are held every Monday and Thursday with the next drawing on August 21.

Dana Wells of Port Crane celebrated a birthday on Friday, August 1 and his sister, Wendy, bought him 13 Lottery tickets for his birthday gift. Wells said he doesn’t buy Lottery tickets for himself, “The only time I buy them is to give them as birthday presents. It’s a family thing.”

The Sunday after his birthday, Wells decided to open his birthday presents and cards. “My girlfriend scratched all thirteen tickets for me and told me ‘You won.’ I thought it was a joke. So we brought the Win $1,000 a Week for Life ticket back to a store to check it and the display said ‘Big Winner.’”

Wells claimed his Lottery prize on August 4 at the Lottery’s Syracuse customer service center.

Wells will receive his Win $1,000 a Week for Life prize in annual payments of $52,000 per year. After required withholdings, he will receive a net check totaling $34,414 every year for the rest of his life.

The co-owner of two local businesses said he has no immediate plans for the prize money. “It won’t change my life any except I might take a vacation soon,” Wells said.

The winning ticket was purchased at the Quickway at 4005 Vestal Parkway in Vestal.

The New York Lottery contributed $42,990,492.67 in Lottery Aid To Education to school districts throughout Broome County during fiscal year 2013-2014.

About the New York Lottery

The New York Lottery continues to be North America’s largest and most profitable Lottery, contributing $3.17 billion in fiscal year 2013-2014 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.