For Immediate Release:                                         Contact:  Communications Office

July 16, 2013                                                                             (518) 388-3415

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ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The New York Lottery’s Gretchen Dizer today presented a ceremonial prize check to Wayne Johnson of Rochester who won $1,000,000 on the Cash Blowout scratch-off game. 

Johnson, 52, follows the same routine when he purchases his lottery tickets. He explained, “I come to the bowling alley every other Friday to get a hamburger for lunch. There is another lottery player that I talk to all the time, and we compare notes on which tickets we’ve been winning on.” Johnson noticed that she won $10 on a Cash Blowout ticket so he decided to buy a ticket as well.  

He scratched the ticket right away and knew he had won something, but wasn’t sure how much.  He then scanned the ticket in the ticket checker. “I knew then that I had won a million dollars,” said Johnson.

Johnson bought his winning ticket on June 28 at Bowl-A-Roll Lanes on Jefferson Road in Rochester. He claimed his prize on July 1, 2013 at the Lottery’s Rochester Customer Service Center. 

Johnson will receive his $1,000,000 Cash Blowout prize in one lump sum totaling $536,297 after required withholdings. He plans to make some investments for the future with his prize money. 

Johnson is New York State’s 74^th Lottery millionaire in 2013.

The New York Lottery contributed $161,462,177.02 in Lottery Aid To Education to school districts throughout Monroe 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.