Sixty-one-year-old Mary Monahan of Waterloo is Seneca County’s newest Lottery millionaire.  The lucky Lottery player won her $1,000,000 prize on a Winner Cashword scratch-off ticket.  She plays the cashword tickets because they are more involved than other tickets.

“I like the cashword tickets because they take longer to play,” explained Monahan.  “At first I thought I did something wrong.  I kept counting the words over and over!”

Monahan wasn’t convinced it was a winner so she took it back to the store for verification.  “I brought it back to the store and the clerk verified it was indeed a winner.”

Monahan will receive her prize as a one-time lump-sum payment.  She will receive a net check totaling $671,800 after required withholdings.

“It feels fantastic,” Monahan said of her newfound fortune.  “It’s unreal!”  When asked what she plans to do with the money Monahan said her initial thoughts are to pay off bills and save for the future.

The winning ticket was purchased at the Seneca Mini Mart at 380 East Main Street in Waterloo.

The New York Lottery contributed $6,776,345 in Lottery Aid to Education to school districts in Seneca County during fiscal year 2017-2018.

About the New York Lottery

The New York Lottery continues to be North America’s largest and most profitable Lottery, contributing $3.37 billion in fiscal year 2017-2018 to help support education in New York State. The Lottery’s contribution represents approximately 13 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.