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November 25, 2014                                     Find us on Facebook and Twitter.

GOUVERNEUR, N.Y. – Judy Brown, of Watertown, is set “for life” now that she has won a top prize of at least  $20,000,000 on the New York Lottery’s popular Win $1,000,000 a Year for Life scratch-off game.

Brown, a retired nurse, was on her way to pick up her sister-in-law on August 29. On the way, she stopped for a coffee at the Valentine Nice N Easy on West Main Street in Gouverneur and decided to buy two lottery tickets from a self-service vending machine. 

While sitting in her car, Brown scratched the first $20 ticket and did not win. Then she scratched the second ticket and said to herself, “This doesn’t look right.” Brown said she just kept staring at the ticket and said to herself, “I think this ticket is fake.”

When she got to her sister-in-law’s house, Brown showed her the ticket and her sister-in-law said “You’ve won big!” She said she still didn’t believe it, but signed the ticket, and put it in her sister-in-law’s safe.

Later on, Brown called her brother to tell him about the ticket, and he said he thought it was a fake ticket also. It was only when Brown came with her brother to the Lottery’s Schenectady Customer Service Center on September 2 that they both started to believe it was true.

Brown said she does not have any immediate plans for her winnings. She said she really wants to take some time to think about it. However, she chose to share her big Lottery win with her brothers, Richard Whalen from North Carolina and Michael Whalen from Florida.

Brown will receive her Win $1,000,000 a Year for Life prize in annual payments of $800,000 per year. After required withholdings, she will receive a net check totaling $529,440 every year for the rest of her life. Richard and Michael Whalen will each receive annual payments of $100,000 per year (net $66,180) for the rest of their lives.

Brown is the 117th New Yorker to claim a New York Lottery prize of $1,000,000 or more so far this year.

The New York Lottery contributed $28,413,162.79 in Lottery Aid To Education to school districts in Jefferson County during fiscal year 2013-2014.

About the New York Lottery

The New York Lottery continues to be North America’s largest and most profitable Lottery, contributing $3.17 billion in fiscal year 2013-2014 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.