Matthew Beidl of Troy said his winning experience began with a stop at the Speedway on Burden Ave. in Troy where used a $5 prize from a Lottery scratch-off game to purchase another $5 scratch-off ticket. What happened next said the Sysco employee, was anything but business as usual.

“I scratched the ticket in my car and saw the number 18 matched up and underneath it said, ‘Jackpot.’ I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” said the new Lottery millionaire.

With the last top prize claimed, the Lottery retired the Cash King game immediately after Beidl presented his ticket earlier this month. The Lottery will continue to pay lower tier prizes on the game through June 1, 2017.

Beidl said winning $1,000,000 before breakfast made it difficult to focus on anything else for the rest of the day.

“I didn’t make it to work that day. I decided to go my mother’s house instead,” he said. “I needed someone else to look at the ticket because I just kept staring at it. I wasn’t sure if it was real or not.”

The 32-year-old winner chose to receive his prize in 20 annual payments of $52,000 (net $34,414). He said his plans for the money can be summed up simply.

“I’m going to save for the future,” he said. “I’m going to enjoy life knowing that I don’t have to worry about too much for the next 20 years.”

Beidl’s big win comes just two weeks after retired warehouse receiver Dana Graffunder of Voorheesville took home a $5,000,000 top prize on the Set For Life scratch-off game. Graffunder opted to take the cash value of his annuity prize, netting him $2,761,104.

The New York Lottery contributed more than $28,821,470 in Lottery Aid To Education to school districts throughout Rensselaer County during fiscal year 2015-2016.

About the New York Lottery

The New York Lottery continues to be North America’s largest and most profitable Lottery, contributing $3.30 billion in fiscal year 2015-2016 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.

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