Rubino purchased the group’s winning ticket on December 10, 2013 at the Accent Lobby Store at 260 Reckson Plaza in Uniondale. She and fellow group member John Westerman claimed the ticket on December 19, 2013.

Coram Mega Millions Winner Adds New Stop to Sunday Routine: Gym, 7-Eleven…Bank

Sunday, November 24, 2013 began like any other Sunday morning for 72-year-old Robert Tripodi of Coram. “I went to the gym and then went to the 7-Eleven to buy my (Lottery) tickets,” said the engineering consultant. “Then I put my ticket with all my other tickets to check later.”  Tripodi said he soon after boarded a plane for a planned Florida vacation “and never thought twice” about his collection of tickets until he returned in December.

“I looked for the winning numbers in the stack of newspapers that had accumulated while I was gone and found I had the first five numbers from the November 26 Mega Millions.” Tripodi said he remembered thinking to himself, “Oh Gee, look at that!” Tripodi signed the ticket and put it in a safe deposit box until he had a chance to claim.

The winning numbers for the November 26 Mega Millions drawing were 27 44 59 74 75 Mega Ball (3).

Tripodi said he plans to use the money to help his family. He also plans to use some for retirement, “when the time comes,” he said.

Tripodi purchased his winning ticket on November 24, 2013 at the 7-Eleven at 3 Pond Path in East Setauket. He claimed his prize on December 20, 2013.

Plainview Man Starts 2014 with “Sweet Lobster” and $1,000,000 Break The Bank Win

A special trip to the market to buy lobster for a romantic New Year’s Eve dinner with his wife took an unexpected turn for Glenn Marrus of Plainview. The 63-year-old Marrus used the opportunity to purchase a few Lottery scratch-off tickets at a store he doesn’t usually frequent.

"They ran out of the (Break the Bank) ticket at the store I usually go to so when I was out that morning for a couple of lobsters, I stopped next door to see if they had any,” said the health care administrator. Marrus, the father of one grown child, said he turned in a $10 Cashword winner and purchased a Break the Bank ticket and one other $5 scratch-off game. Marrus said all his lucky stars fell into place when he walked into the Country Cove Stationery on Old Country Road in Plainview.  

“I showed the clerk the ticket I wanted but the display was about three feet above her head. I watched as she really struggled to reach it and then I told her to give me another ticket, any ticket because it wasn’t worth the effort. She told me to wait and she would get the one I wanted, and she finally did. Her extra effort was key.” Marrus scratched his ticket in the store and instantly saw the match on the number 7 in the top and bottom portions of his ticket and the words “Jackpot – 1 Million” printed below. “I was walking on air,” he said of his trip to claim his $1,000,000 prize just a few hours later.

Marrus said he planned “to take care of family first and then take some time deciding what to do moving forward.”  He opted to receive the cash equivalent of his annuity prize; earning him a single lump sum payment of $810,000 (net $536,058). Marrus said he used the occasion of his first-ever million dollar Lottery win to buy two of the “sweetest lobsters” he could find.

Marrus claimed his winning ticket on December 31, 2013.

East Hampton Bookkeeper Wins $1,000,000 on Million Dollar Numbers Scratch-Off Game

Fifty-Six-year-old Cynthia Goode of East Hampton said she is a frequent Lottery scratch-off player for one simple reason: “Because it’s fun!” The independent bookkeeper said she has no real system for choosing the games she plays either. “I chose the Million Dollar Numbers game because it just looked good at the time,” she said.

Goode said she purchased three of the Million Dollar Numbers tickets from the Whalebone General Store on Noyac Road in Sag Harbor during a work break and brought them back to the office to scratch. The mother of two and grandmother of one said her third ticket was the charm. “I was kind of in shock, but I finished the day and went home and told my children.”

Goode’s plans for her windfall include putting most of her lump sum payment of $780,000 (net $516,204) directly into her savings account. “But, when I win my second million,” she said, “I’m going to buy a house and retire.”

Goode purchased her tickets on January 14, 2014 and claimed it the following day.

Game, Set and Match for New Hyde Park Dad After Winning $1,000,000 Powerball Prize

Forty-nine-year-old Chiman “Frankie” Lam of New Hyde Park was on his way home from his sons’ tennis lessons on January 11, 2014 when he decided to stop for gas and a couple of Quick Picks for that evening’s Powerball drawing. The father of two then added the ticket to his already overstuffed wallet.

Lam said it was more than a week later when he “decided to clean out my wallet of old receipts and Lottery tickets” that he discovered what would turn out to be a Powerball second prize winning ticket worth $1,000,000. “I checked 28 tickets on the Lottery’s website,” said the work-from-home computer analyst. He said he was “somewhat shocked” when he came across his $1,000,000 winner for the January 11 Powerball drawing, but also a little deflated that he came so close to winning the $80,000,000 jackpot.

The winning numbers for the January 11, 2014 Powerball drawing were 10 15 33 48 54 Powerball (34).

Lam will receive his prize in a single cash payment totaling $661,800 after required withholdings. He plans to use his prize to save for his sons’ college tuition and retirement.

Lam purchased his winning ticket at TGA USA at 570 Port Washington Blvd. in Port Washington. He claimed his top-prize winning ticket on January 22, 2014.

The New York Lottery contributed $111,742,026.75 in Lottery Aid To Education to school districts throughout Nassau County during fiscal year 2012-2013. The Lottery’s Aid To Education Contribution to school districts in Suffolk County totaled $219,832,350.09 for the same time period.

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.