SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – Joel Elston, of Scotia, won $5,000,000 on the New York Lottery’s Cash X100 scratch-off game, and Marilyn Eaton, of Watervliet, won $1,000,000 on the New York Lottery’s Cash X60 scratch-off game.

Elston, the Manager of Nott Street Auto where he bought his winning ticket, said he regularly buys scratch-off games and chose the Cash X100 ticket because it is a new game.

On July 16, Elston bought a Cool $50’s ticket and won $40. With that money, he bought the last two tickets on the roll for the Cash X100 game. He won the jackpot prize on the number 1 ticket on the roll, and coincidentally, matched the number ‘1’ to win the $5,000,000 prize.

Elston knew right away that he had won big. “I scratched the number and saw the number ‘1,’ and then I scratched underneath it and saw some zeros. Then I kept scratching and saw some more zeros, and I thought to myself ‘This is a lot of zeros.’ And then I saw the number ‘5’ and knew it was a $5 million dollar win. But just to be sure, I put the ticket through the scanner and it said ‘Big Winner.’ Then I knew for sure.”

Elston said he printed his name on the back of the ticket and signed it right away. Then he called his wife to tell her the good news. She was shocked, but Elston said she did believe him that it was true. Then he called his mother who was equally as shocked but very happy for him.

“I was nearly hysterical,” said Eaton. “I went around the whole shop telling everyone I had won. Everybody was as shocked as I was! Then I called a good friend of mine and he said I was so hysterical he couldn’t even understand what I was saying. He thought something bad had happened.”

Elston claimed his jackpot win on July 17, 2015 at the Lottery’s Schenectady Customer Service Center. He chose to receive his prize as a one-time lump sum payment totaling $3,309,000 after required withholdings.

As for his plans for the money, Elston said he wants to pay off his mortgage and maybe look for another house. He also wants to save for the future and put some money away for college for his children.

When asked if he will continue to buy scratch-off tickets, Elston said, “I don’t think so. I was going after a jackpot and now, I’ve got my jackpot.”

He is the 94th New Yorker to claim a New York Lottery prize of $1,000,000 or more so far this year.

On July 10, Eaton, a Walmart employee, was running errands for her boyfriend when something told her to stop at the Mobil station near the airport to buy some scratch-off tickets. She chose the Cash X60 ticket because it was a new game and she liked the green color. The first four tickets she bought were non-winners so she bought four more. She scratched her winning ticket in the car and couldn’t believe it was real.

“I drove right to the Lottery office after I scanned it in the store. I was so excited I was afraid I might get into an accident on the way,” she said.  It finally hit Eaton when she arrived at the Schenectady Customer Service Center that she was a new Lottery millionaire.

Eaton called her boyfriend to tell him the good news, but he did not believe her. “I kept telling him over and over that it was real,” Eaton said.

Eaton chose to receive her prize as a one-time lump sum payment totaling $555,912 after required withholdings. Her plans for the money include paying off her mortgage, fixing the roof on her house and buying a new Mercedes. “I’ve always dreamed of buying a black Mercedes and now I can,” she said.

She is the 91st New Yorker to claim a New York Lottery prize of $1,000,000 or more so far this year.

The New York Lottery contributed $ 139,495,175 in Lottery Aid To Education to school districts in Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga and Schenectady counties during fiscal year 2014-15.

About the New York Lottery

The New York Lottery continues to be North America’s largest and most profitable Lottery, contributing $3.11 billion in fiscal year 2014-2015 to help support education in New York State.  The Lottery’s contribution represents 14 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.