New York State Gaming Commission, Division of the Lottery
Communications
518-388-3415
nylottery.ny.gov
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For Immediate Release – September 17, 2015
 

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – Kimberley Buddles, of Fort Plain, won $5,000,000 on the New York Lottery’s Hit $5,000,000 scratch-off game, and Yvette Houston, of Albany, won $1,000,000 on the Lottery’s Wheel of Fortune scratch-off game.

Running Out of Paint Rollers Leads to Rolling in Millions

Buddles, a flagger for a local paving company, said she plays different scratch-off games all the time. On August 10, Buddles was doing some exterior painting on her house, ran out of paint rollers and went downtown to Nelliston to buy some. While there she stopped at Q’s Mart at 1 East Main Street to pick up some Lottery tickets.

Buddles said, “I hadn’t played the Hit $5,000,000 game in a while, so I decided to try it. I scratched off almost all of the numbers and thought the ticket was a loser. Then I got to the very last number ‘40’ and it matched the number ‘40’ above, and it had ‘$5,000,000’ underneath it.”

Buddles continued, “I couldn’t believe it. I thought it was a scam. I really didn’t believe that I had won $5,000,000 until I got to the Lottery office and they verified it for me.”

Buddles said she went right home and called her daughter. Her daughter then drove her to the Lottery’s Schenectady Customer Service Center to claim the jackpot prize.

Buddles chose to receive her prize as a one-time lump sum payment totaling $3,309,000 after required withholdings. When asked about her plans for the money, Buddles said she has two very old cars now, so she will get a new vehicle and probably take a trip to Florida to see her son.

She is the 104th New Yorker to claim a New York Lottery prize of $1,000,000 or more so far this year.

Albany Woman Manages Two “Normal Routine” Work Days after Scratching $1M Winner

On August 8 before going to work for a local home health care agency, Houston, scratched off a Lottery Wheel of Fortune ticket that turned out to be a $1,000,000 jackpot winner.

Houston said, “I scratched the ticket and couldn’t believe it. I didn’t think the ticket was real. I still can’t believe it.”

Houston said she then went to work and just followed her normal routine until she could come to the Lottery’s Schenectady Customer Service Center on August 10 to claim the prize. The winning ticket was purchased at Red Mill Mini Mart at 93 Troy Road in East Greenbush.

Houston chose to receive her prize as a one-time lump sum payment totaling $532,373 after required withholdings. When asked about her plans for the money, Houston said she wants to think about buying a house, paying some bills and saving for the future.

She is the 105th 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.