For Immediate Release:                                      Contact:  Communications Office

 April 18, 2014                                                            (518) 388-3415

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FISHKILL, N.Y. – The New York Lottery’s Magen MacDavid today presented four ceremonial prize checks worth a collective $6,500,000 to a mix of Lottery scratch-off and draw game winners, including a Greenwood Lake resident who won $3,500,000 from the March 29 Lotto drawing and didn’t know it for nearly a week. The check presentations took place at the Lottery’s Customer Service Center in Fishkill.

Greenwood Lake Man Wins $3.5M Lotto Jackpot; Unaware for Nearly a Week

Gerald Brewer of Greenwood Lake, Orange County, won the $3,500,000 jackpot from the March 29, 2014 Lotto drawing.

Brewer bought his Lotto ticket on the day of the drawing while he was out running errands and stopped for coffee. He said he sometimes buys tickets for the Powerball and Mega Millions drawings, but he prefers Lotto because it has a “better chance of winning” over the multi-state draw games.

Brewer put his ticket in his wallet and forgot about it until he read an April 3 story in the Times Herald-Record about a convenience store searching for a Lotto jackpot winner. Brewer said he knew he purchased his ticket at the same store, Country Convenience Food Store at 524 Lakes Road in Monroe.

When Brewer checked his ticket, to his surprise, the winning numbers featured in the story matched the numbers on his ticket. He then went home and showed his wife the ticket.  She urged him to take the ticket back to the Country Convenience store to have the ticket checked.  When the clerk at the store scanned the ticket, that’s when Brewer knew he had won big.

Brewer said he remained calm and claimed his ticket at the Lottery’s Customer Service Center in Fishkill the next day on April 4.

The winning numbers for the March 29 Lotto drawing were 07-29-30-37-42-53 and Bonus number 26.

Brewer chose to receive his prize in one lump sum amount of $2,196,662, net $1,453,750 after required withholdings. He said his plans for his winnings are to retire a little earlier than expected and then save some for the future.

Brewer is the 61^st New Yorker to claim a New York Lottery prize of $1,000,000 or more so far this year.

Newburgh Man Went to Get Mail and Returned Home $1M Richer

Frederick Depew, Jr. of Newburgh, Orange County won a $1,000,000 Powerball prize from the March 26, 2014 drawing. 

The day before the drawing Depew said he had a case of “cabin fever” and wanted to get out of the house. “I told my wife I was going out for the mail, but instead, I got in the car and went to buy my Lottery tickets,” explained Depew. He said he plays the Lottery regularly and plays the Powerball game “for fun.”

Depew followed his normal routine and checked his tickets the day after the drawing while reading the newspaper. That’s when he saw that he matched five out of the six numbers.

Depew said he knew he had won something, but he didn’t know what the prize was.  It wasn’t until the next day, March 27, when he drove to the Lottery’s Fishkill customer service center that he knew he had won the $1,000,000 second prize. That’s when Depew said he was “dumbfounded and excited.”

The winning numbers for the March 26 Powerball drawing were 28-33-41-44-59 and Powerball 21.

Depew bought his winning ticket at the Quick Stop Express at 5221 Route 9W in Newburgh.  He will receive his prize in one lump sum of $661,800 after required withholdings.

Depew said his plans for the money are to give back to his community and save some for his grandchildren’s college education. He is the 56^th New Yorker to claim a New York Lottery prize of $1,000,000 or more so far this year.

Orange County Woman Wins $1M on New Lottery Scratch-Off Game -- 7*11*21

Barbara Marshall of Florida, Orange County, won the $1,000,000 top prize on the new 7*11*21 scratch-off game. The New York Lottery launched the new game on March 4, 2014.

The day she purchased her ticket Marshall was following her normal Saturday morning routine.  “I stopped at the deli to buy a newspaper and a few scratch-off tickets before heading to the Laundromat,” explained Marshall.

Marshall said she was alone in the Laundromat when she scratched her tickets. On the second of three tickets she bought, she saw the number “7” printed above the work “Jackpot,” and that’s when she knew she had won big. Marshall said her first reaction was, “I screamed and kept saying ‘no way’ over and over again.”

Marshall purchased her ticket at Salvato’s Flowick Deli at 581 Route 94 North in Warwick.  She said the deli is a special place for her because her mother was the owner of the business in the early 80’s, and she used to work there. “The store has been a part of my life for a long time, so it’s kind of surreal,” said Marshall. 

Marshall chose to receive her prize in one lump sum amount of $760,000, net $502,968 after required withholdings. She said she is unsure of her plans for the prize money other than to make a few home improvements.

Marshall is the 51^st New Yorker to claim a New York Lottery prize of $1,000,000 or more so far this year.

Westchester County Man Wins $1 Powerball Prize from March 8, 2014 Drawing

Anthony Sawyer of Mount Vernon, Westchester County, won $1,000,000 from the March 8, 2014 Powerball drawing.

Sawyer is a regular New York Lottery player and buys his draw game tickets every Friday on payday. On March 7, the day before the Powerball drawing, Sawyer was in a discount store to buy aluminum plates. He said, “I always play on Fridays. So I decided to ‘knock off two birds with one stone’ and get my tickets from the same spot.”

Sawyer bought a Lotto ticket, a Mega Millions ticket, and a Powerball ticket. On Sunday, March 9, Sawyer went into the gas station to check his tickets. Sawyer explained, “First I scanned my Lotto ticket, which was ‘not a winner,’ then I scanned my Mega Millions ticket, which was a ‘$1 winner,’ then I scanned my Powerball ticket and it said ‘Big Winner!’ I couldn’t believe it! I asked the guy behind the counter to double-check my ticket, and he said ‘Man you just won $1,000,000 dollars!’ I was in complete disbelief.”

The winning numbers for the March 8 Powerball drawing were 10-14-24-32-41 and Powerball 30.

Sawyer purchased his winning ticket at Throggs Neck Discount Center at 4047 East Tremont Avenue in the Bronx. Sawyer will receive his prize in one lump sum amount of $661,800 after required withholdings. He said he plans to use his prize money to save for retirement and help out his children.

Sawyer is the 50^th New Yorker to claim a New York Lottery prize of $1,000,000 or more so far this year.

The New York Lottery contributed $76,833,349.97 in Lottery Aid To Education to school districts throughout Orange County during fiscal year 2012-2013. The New York Lottery contributed $70,858,076.81 in Lottery Aid To Education to school districts throughout Westchester County during fiscal year 2012-2013.

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.