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December 2, 2014                                                    Find us on Facebook and Twitter.

BUFFALO, N.Y. – The New York Lottery’s Gretchen Dizer presented over-sized prize checks worth $7,000,000 to three lucky Western New York residents, including two who won on the Franklin’s Fortunes scratch-off game. Winners include a Buffalo history buff, a retired teacher from Batavia and a Lima resident.

History Buff Hits Big on Franklin’s Fortune

Twenty-five-year-old Phillip Alger of Buffalo won $3,000,000 on New York Lottery’s Franklin’s Fortune scratch-off game after taking a chance on two tickets.

Alger said he is not a frequent Lottery player but decided to take a chance after seeing Benjamin Franklin on a ticket, “I was checking out at the register when I looked over and saw Benjamin Franklin’s face. I usually don’t purchase $10 tickets and only had a $20, but had to get the ticket, or in this case two.”

Alger said he waited until he got home to scratch the tickets, “I scratched the first one and didn’t win. I was upset that I wasted my money. Then I scratched the second one and saw it was a jackpot winner. I was in disbelief.”

Alger, who supports five children, said the win came just in time. Alger’s plans for his winnings include paying bills, getting a new car, setting up college funds and possibly investing in a franchise after speaking with a financial advisor.

Alger opted to receive his Lottery prize as a one-time lump sum payment of $2,250,000. He will receive a net check totaling $1,489,050 after required withholdings.

The winning ticket was purchased at Ontario Best Value, 500 Ontario St., Buffalo, NY  14207.

The New York Lottery contributed $159,330,799.28 in Lottery Aid To Education to school districts in Erie County during fiscal year 2013-2014.

Second Place Powerball Winner Plans to Escape New York Winters

Retired teacher Raymond Stankovic of Batavia is a new millionaire after winning $1,000,000 on Powerball.

Stankovic decided to try his luck while picking up his morning paper and purchased a Powerball ticket for the October 29 drawing.

The day after the drawing, Stankovic said he checked his ticket at the store, “I put it under the scanner and it asked for my ID. I wasn’t sure what was going on. I thought maybe I won a couple of thousand dollars. I gave the ticket to the clerk to check and her mouth dropped. She then went up to another clerk and after a few minutes they told me I won $1,000,000! They had to pick me up off the floor!”

After grasping his big win, Stankovic rushed home to tell his wife of 50 years, Margaret, “I was thinking that I would buy her flowers and take her out to a nice dinner to tell her the news, but I couldn’t wait.” Stankovic said when he told Margaret, “she said I was crazy and perhaps we needed to go to the hospital. It took me a while to convince her it was for real!”

Stankovic said he is thinking about using his winnings to purchasing a small house in Florida “to get away from these cold New York winters” and probably taking a trip to California to visit family.

The winning Powerball numbers for October 29 were 25-28-48-57-59 and Powerball 16.

Stankovic will receive his Lottery prize as a payment totaling $661,800 after required withholdings.

The winning ticket was purchased at 7-11, 505 East Main St., Batavia, NY  14020.

The New York Lottery contributed $14,467,743.48 in Lottery Aid To Education to school districts in Genesee County during fiscal year 2013-2014.

$3,000,000 Franklin’s Fortune Winner Joins Growing List of Livingston County Millionaires

John Fisher of Lima is Livingston County’s newest Lottery millionaire. The 21-year-old earned his spot on the growing list of lucky Livingston County Lottery players by matching the number 14 on the top and bottom portion of his Franklins’ Fortune scratch-off ticket. The lucky combination made Fisher $3,000,000 richer in an instant.

Fisher said he likes to buy Lottery tickets because “It’s fun.” But, looking ahead to his $3,000,000 windfall, the father of one admits there may be more to it than that. “Winning the Lottery feels like all my problems are gone,” he said. “I can set my daughter up for life.”

The new Lottery millionaire purchased his jackpot-winning ticket at Finger Lakes Express at 265 East Main St. in Avon.

The growing list of Livingston County Lottery jackpot winners include:

·       Paula Henry of Geneseo who won a $3,000,000 Lotto jackpot

·       Claire McKay of Dansville who won a top prize on the Win $1,000 A Week For Life scratch-off game

·       Jason Spencer of Nunda who won $1,000,000 on the Million $ Players Club scratch-off game

·       Jean Tomczak of Nunda who won $1,000,000 on a No Limit Poker scratch-off game, and

·       Josephine Berndl of Caledonia who won a $2,000,000 prize on the $500,000,000 Extravaganza scratch-off game.

The New York Lottery contributed $12,696,148.02 in Lottery Aid To Education to school districts in Livingston 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.