It’s Deja Vu for Jamaica Man Who Claimed $5M Scratch-off at Resorts World & Now Returns For Big Check

Seventy-four-year-old Anokye Kwaku was out for breakfast near his home in Jamaica, Queens last month when he stopped into Guru Hari Stationers on Baisley Boulevard to play his numbers.

 “I took a shot on a Set for Life ticket too because I’ve won a few dollars on that one in the past,” he said.

Kwaku retired from the NYC Department of Environmental Protection more than a decade ago. He said after scratching the code off his $10 Set for Life ticket and running it through the Lottery’s ticket scanner, he celebrated his win with the store’s owner and headed to Resorts World to claim his $5,000 A Week For Life prize.

“It’s nice to be back,” Kwaku said referring to his return to the site where, this time, the Lottery would present him with an over-sized prize check. The father of two opted to receive the cash value of his $5,000,000 guaranteed minimum payment. He will receive his prize in a single payment totaling $3,985,116 (net $2,482,877).  His plans for the cash are two-fold.

“I plan to help my children and travel,” he said. “My first trip will be to South Africa. I’ve been planning it for a while. But now, I can actually go!”

College Student from South Richmond Hills Gets his Fruit Punch and a $3,000,000 Scratch-Off Winner Too

Now in his fifth year of working full time and going to college at night to earn a degree in Accounting, 23-year-old Ronald Bechan is savoring his $3,000,000 win on the Lottery’s $3,000,000 in Benjamins scratch-off game. Bechan, a mail center worker at Time Inc.’s Manhattan offices, was running errands near work when he popped into the News on 23rd shop on W 23rd St. for a fruit punch a Lottery ticket because as he puts it, “It never hurts to win a little money on the side.”  Bechan opted for the $3,000,000 in Benjamins because he liked the prize.

“This was a new one for me,” he said. “I usually play the $5 games, but I wanted the big prize.”

Bechan said he scratched the ticket while still in the store and saw a match on the number 8. “Luck was with me that day,” he said. “I was speechless. I walked out, finished my errands and went home to tell mom.”

Bechan opted to take the cash value of the annuitized prize and will receive a single payment of $2,480,000 (net $1,545,139).

Bechan said he is excited at the prospect of moving out of the South Richmond Hills apartment he shares with family and into a new home “with lots of rooms.” He also likes the idea of not stressing over money anymore.

“I’ve got a little more leg room now,” he said. “I know the money will be there for what may come up.”

Bechan plans to finish the three courses he’s taking this semester and register for the one remaining class he needs to graduate from York College next fall. “This isn’t going to change my plans,” he said. “I need my degree so I can do better and help my parents to do better, too. It will change my circumstances, but it won’t change me.”

Longtime Friends from Lido Beach Split $8,300,000 LOTTO Jackpot

Elizabeth Kelly, 56, and Randi Bernstein, 63, both of Lido Beach, are $8,300,000 richer thanks to the March 18 LOTTO drawing. Kelly is employed by the U.S. Postal Service. Bernstein is a Postmaster. The two have been friends for 20 years, but only recently started playing the Lottery together.

“It was kind of a fluke-y decision we made in the last couple of months. I’m not really sure why we started playing or why we choose Lotto” said Bernstein, a married mother of two.

Bernstein explained that in addition to their postal jobs, they have each assigned the other a specific task to keep their LOTTO pool running smoothly.

“I buy the tickets and she checks them” explained Bernstein. “It’s that simple.” And, so it was that Bernstein spent $2 on four sets of LOTTO Quick Picks for the March 18 drawing and Kelly checked the winning numbers in the Sunday paper the following morning.  Kelly immediately notified Bernstein of their good fortune.

“I was in total denial,” said Bernstein, adding “I thought ‘how could this be?’ And then there was a lot of crying.”

The winning numbers for the March 18 LOTTO drawing were:  01 – 03 – 20 – 27 – 30 – 49.

Bernstein and Kelly opted to receive the cash value of their annuitized prize with each receiving a one-time payment totaling $2,714,232 (net $1,796,279).

Bernstein plans to replace her old car and do some much need work on her home. Kelly said she needs a little more time before making any decisions.

Bernstein purchased the pair’s winning ticket at Rip’s Cards & Things on Long Beach Rd. in Oceanside.

The New York Lottery contributed $138,659,047 and $1,241,108,427 in Lottery Aid To Education to school districts in Nassau and New York Counties respectively 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.