For Immediate Release:                                         Contact:  Communications Office

June 20, 2013                                                                            (518) 388-3415

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QUEENSBURY, N.Y. – The New York Lottery’s Yolanda Vega today presented an over-sized prize check to a group of 20 coworkers who collectively won $1,000,000 from the May 18, 2013 Powerball drawing. The winners work together at the Ninety Nine restaurant at 578 Aviation Road in Queensbury where the ceremonial check presentation took place.

This was the first time the group of coworkers pooled their money to buy Lottery tickets.  A member of the group, Brittany Williams, explained, “Some of the group at the restaurant pooled their money together to bet on the May 4 Kentucky Derby race, but I wasn’t able to get in on that. So, as the Powerball jackpot continued to grow in mid-May, I decided to organize a pool for the May 18 drawing.”

 Everyone contributed $4, and Williams and another coworker, Chasidy Steady, purchased 40 tickets on May 18 in the afternoon after they had finished work. They went to the Hess Mart on Aviation Road in Queensbury across from where they work because it was convenient. 

 Williams sealed the tickets in an envelope and left them in her car overnight.  It wasn’t until the next morning, Sunday, May 19, when Williams met coworker Paula Granger at the restaurant that the two of them started checking the tickets. 

Granger explained, “When we got to the group of winning numbers, we knew we had won something, but we didn’t know how much. So we called our coworker, Tim Moss, and he said ‘If you matched five numbers, we won $1 million dollars.’” 

Granger and Williams then went back to the Hess Mart to scan the ticket to be sure.  The clerk verified for them that it was indeed a $1,000,000 winner.

The two coworkers then drove to Prospect Mountain in Lake George to meet up with some of the rest of their coworkers for a hike they were doing together to help raise money for a local charity. That’s when Williams and Granger started telling everyone about their good fortune. 

“The reactions ranged from disbelief to pure joy, and everyone started calling family members and friends right away,” said Williams.

 Granger added, “We did complete the hike that morning, and we were all smiling the whole way!”

The coworkers claimed their prize on May 20 at the Lottery’s Schenectady Customer Service Center. The group will collectively split the $1,000,000 prize and each will receive $33,090 after required withholdings. Some of the group members’ plans for their portion of the winnings include new cars, paying bills and making a down payment on a house.

The group of 20 consists of: 

Donna Cleveland of North Creek

Carrie Cronin of Queensbury

Shannon Dorvee of Queensbury

Paula Granger of Queensbury

Emil Hajeck of Queensbury

Ashley Horrocks of Ballston Spa

Tammara Keiser of Queensbury

Terrence Knipes of Granville

Theodore Joseph of Lake George

Timothy Moss of Hudson Falls

Justin Myers of Queensbury

Dan Nolan of Saratoga

Lori Rivers of South Glens Falls

Kelly Russo of Lake George

Kayla Smith of Lake George

Chasidy Steady of Queensbury

Evan Sullivan of Glens Falls

Shantez Terry of Hudson Falls

Sean Velazquez of Glens Falls

Brittany Williams of Glens Falls

The winning numbers from the May 18 Powerball drawing were 10-13-14-22-52 Powerball 11.

The New York Lottery contributed $8,757,797.25 in Lottery Aid To Education to school districts throughout Warren County during fiscal year 2012-13. 

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.