NEW YORK, N.Y. – The New York Lottery’s Yolanda Vega and Jenny Garcia today presented   ceremonial prize checks worth a collective $13,500,000 to a mix of recent Lottery scratch-off and draw game winners. The check presentations took place at the Lottery’s Customer Service Center in Manhattan.

A Dream Realized in Brooklyn: Albania Native Wins $1,500 A Week For Life Lottery Prize

Twenty-one-year-old Euglen Muslli, originally of Albania, now living in Bay Ridge always dreamed of having money. The self-taught electrician’s helper saw that dream come true last week when he claimed a top prize on the $1,500 A Week For Life scratch-off game.

Muslli came to New York from Albania six years ago to join family already established here. He said all his dreams of coming to America have since come true.

“It was my dream to have money; a lot of money to spend on things I want. I never thought it would actually happen; that I would win the Lottery. But, I had hope. God bless the Lottery.”

Muslli said he bought his ticket after getting a haircut at his neighborhood barber shop.

“I went to the deli next door for a couple of tickets and stood out front to scratch them. I saw that word ‘Life’ and thought, ‘Whoa. You’re a millionaire!’”

The young lottery millionaire opted to receive the cash value of his guaranteed $1,500,000 minimum payout which amounts to $1,188,729. His net check will total $740,626.

He plans to use his prize money to help family, buy a house and potentially open a business; possibly a restaurant, “An Italian restaurant, of course.”

Muslli purchased his $1,500 A Week For Life ticket at Yogi 86-04 on 4^th Ave. in Brooklyn. The game has since been retired and replaced with the new $2,500 A Week For Life scratch-off game.

Bensonhurst Wife, Husband Split $5,000,000 in “Change” on Maximum Millions scratch-off

Geraldine Pollice, 45, of Bensonhurst was shopping for a newspaper when she decided to buy a Maximum Millions scratch-off ticket last month. The stay-at-home mom said she was more than a little surprised when the clerk at the Smoke Stax III store on 18^th Ave. in Brooklyn handed her the ticket.

“I gave him a $20 winner to cash in and asked him to pick out another ticket for me. He gave me a $20 Maximum Millions ticket. “I said ‘$20, really! I want some change!’” The store clerk convinced Pollice to keep the ticket saying it was very popular with his customers. Pollice said she made it as far as her car and decided she couldn’t wait any longer to see if her trendy ticket was worth the price. After scratching only three numbers in the lower half of her ticket, Pollice had her answer.

“I saw a match on the number 38 and then all the zeroes and thought, this can’t be true. I couldn’t believe it because I didn’t have my glasses. I thought, ‘There’s too many zeroes!’”

Pollice said after confirming her win with the clerk who convinced her to keep the ticket, she texted a copy of it to her husband, Fredinando, 46, a telecommunications technician based in Manhattan. Pollice said her husband gave her explicit instructions to “go straight home and put the ticket under the mattress” for safekeeping. But, Pollice said, she had other plans. “I went shopping instead,” she laughed.

Geraldine and Fredinando Pollice claimed the ticket together on April 29 at the Lottery’s Customer Service Center in Manhattan. The pair opted to split the $5,000,000 prize evenly with each receiving $2,500,000 (net $1,557,600).

The couple plans to use the money to invest in a new car, a new home and for retirement.

Leisurely Drive to Upstate House Leads Brooklyn Retiree to $1,000,000 Powerball Win

Seventy-four-year-old Arthur Berg with dual residences in Brooklyn and Greene County spent $2 for one set of Quick Pick numbers for the April 26 Powerball drawing for a jackpot worth $40,000,000. The recently retired attorney matched the first five numbers, missing the jackpot by a single number but still winning a hefty $1,000,000 second prize.

The winning numbers for the April 26 Powerball drawing were 3-7-22-30-33 Powerball 20.

Berg, an avid Powerball player, said he purchased the ticket en route to his family’s “house in the country.” Berg said he learned of his random luck as he ran his numbers through a Lottery ticket checker the following day and saw the phrase “Big Winner.”

Berg will receive a single payment totaling $661,800. He did not disclose any immediate plans for the money.

Berg purchased his $2 Quick Pick ticket at Stewart’s on Route 23 in Leeds.

Guyana Native Now Living in Queens Wins $3,000,000 King’s Ransom Jackpot

Rafik Sulaiman, 59, of Astoria is $3,000,000 richer.  Originally from Guyana, the Rockefeller Center security guard recently claimed a top prize on the King’s Ransom scratch-off game.  Sulaiman purchased his $10 ticket from a vending machine at Pronto Pizza at 62 W 48^th St. in Manhattan.

Sulaiman, who plays about $10 daily, said he usually selects tickets randomly.  In this case, he didn’t have much to choose from because most of the tickets were sold out. He selected his King’s Ransom winner simply because “it was available.” 

He later discovered his win while on a break. “I was having a snack and I scratched the ticket.  I saw the little coin symbol and then the word “Jackpot” underneath, so I took it back to the store to double check.”

Sulaiman chose to receive his prize in one lump sum payment totaling $2,340,000 (net $1,517,654). The married father of three and grandfather of five said despite being a regular Lottery player for years, he has not made any plans for spending his millions.

“My only plan is to get the money and then decide,” he said.

Aircraft Maintenance Manager from Queens Seeing Blue Skies Ahead With $1,000,000 Powerball Second Prize

On February 16, Jet Blue Aircraft Maintenance Manager John Sandrowsky of Bayside spent $10 to purchase five sets of quick pick numbers for the February 19 Powerball drawing worth $425,000,000. Although he bought his tickets early for the February 19 drawing, he waited more than six weeks to claim his $1,000,000 second prize for matching the first five numbers drawn. The reason, said Sandrowsky, was simple: “I never checked my numbers.”

Sandrowsky said it was actually his wife of 28 years, Nancy, who discovered the couple’s good fortune.

“She was checking his tickets online and sent me an e-mail saying ‘I think you won something.’”  He said he e-mailed her back asking, ‘Can I quit my job?’” and she replied, ‘No, but I think you are going to be pleasantly surprised.’” 

The winning numbers for the February 19 Powerball drawing were 1 17 35 49 54 and Powerball 34.

Sandrowsky said it wasn’t until he claimed his ticket at the Lottery’s Plainview Customer Service Center on March 28 that he actually believed he won one million dollars.

Like all Powerball second prize winners, Sandrowsky will receive his prize in a single net payment. His check will total $623,040.  He plans to use the cash to pay some bills and give to a local charity.

Sandrowsky bought his $1,000,000 winner at Richard Enterprises at 205-01 35^th Avenue in Bayside.

Staten Island Retiree Makes a Pit Stop, Wins $1,000,000 Ruby 2s top Prize  

Seventy-five year old Salvatore “Sal” Montante of Staten Island was driving from Brooklyn to his home in Annadale when he pulled into the Bay & Bath Market on Bay Parkway in Brooklyn last month “out of necessity.” The former construction laborer and iron worker said he decided to buy a few Lottery tickets on the way out of the store “just to be fair.” He bought three tickets, including two Ruby 2s and headed home.  

“I was having trouble sleeping that night so I just got up. I remembered I had the tickets so I scratched them,” recalled Montante. He saw a match on the number 23 on the first Ruby 2s he scratched; earning him the $1,000,000 in an instant. “It’s a special number to me. It was my wife’s birthday and it’s my son’s birthday too,” Montante said.  

The father of three said he first woke up his son who was asleep on the couch and they both went downstairs to wake up his second son living in the basement apartment. Together, the three of them called Montante’s daughter who lives around the corner. Montante said the whole family spent the rest of the early morning hours “talking, laughing and celebrating” his good fortune.  

Montante said there was no real system involved in choosing his Ruby 2s jackpot winner. “I always like to mix it up when I buy tickets,” he said. “This one got my attention.” He also bought a Mother’s Day ticket in honor of his late wife “who enjoyed playing the Lottery as much as I do.”

Montante will receive the cash equivalent of his $1,000,000 annuity prize, resulting in a one-time net payment of $623,040. He said he plans to pay some bills and hopefully travel to Italy to visit the brother he hasn’t seen since 1981.

Nothing Personal: Mount Vernon Man Wins $1,000,000 Sweet Million Jackpot with Quick Picks  

Sixty-seven-year old Timothy Brassil of Mount Vernon has a recent change of heart to thank for his $1,000,000 Sweet Million jackpot win. The retired construction worker originally from Ireland said he recently decided to stop using the personal set of numbers he played for years and start using Quick Picks – with decidedly different results. Brassil matched all six numbers selected in the April 24 Sweet Million drawing.

“I was stunned,” he said after reading his numbers on a print-out provided by a retailer in the days following the drawing. “So stunned I didn’t tell me wife for a week!”   

The winning numbers for the April 24 Sweet Million drawing were 4 8 11 19 24 and 30.

Brassil will receive his $1,000,000 prize in one lump sum payment totaling $661,800. The father of three said the money is already spoken for. “I’ve got college tuition loans, a wedding and a grandchild on the way.” He did hope to stash some money away for a return trip to his beloved Ireland.

The New York Lottery contributed $1,200,599,252.62 in Lottery Aid To Education to school districts throughout New York County during fiscal year 2012-2013. The Lottery’s Aid To Education contribution in Westchester County for the same time period totaled $70,858,076.81.

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.

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