Brooklyn High School Student Wins at Least $1,000,000 on Lottery's Win $1,000 A Week For Life Ticket

BROOKLYN, NY (06/12/2012)(readMedia)-- The New York Lottery's Gretchen Dizer today presented a $1,000,000 over-sized prize check to an 18-year-old Win $1,000 A Week For Life winner from Brooklyn. The presentation comes just days before the teen's high school graduation. Dizer presented the college-bound Lottery winner with his ceremonial check at the store where he purchased his lucky winner. Three other recent Lottery jackpot winners from Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island also received their over-sized checks at today's event.

Brooklyn Teen to Pay for College and New Car with Win $1,000 A Week For Life Top Prize

Eighteen-year-old Robert Salo of Brooklyn does not buy Lottery tickets often. The soon-to-graduate high school senior said his recent purchase of a top-prize winning Win $1,000 A Week For Life ticket was a fluke.

"I just had a feeling," said Salo of his decision to buy the $2 ticket. "Something drew me to it," he continued. "It was like I was in the right place at the right time." Salo purchased his $2 Win $1,000 A Week For Life scratch-off ticket May 14 during a stop at Coney Island Convenience on Coney Island Avenue in Brooklyn.

"It feels like I'm living in a dream," said the future electrical engineer. "One minute, I'm driving around with my mom and uncle, and the next I'm yelling at them to pull over because I won a million dollars. We all thought it was a joke at first and then we were like, 'Yeah! Okay! Wow!'"

Salo said after showing the ticket to his mother and uncle, he never let the ticket out of his sight again until he could claim it the following day at the Lottery's Customer Service Center in Manhattan. "I hugged it the whole night," he laughed.

As a top prize winner on the Win $1,000 A Week For Life scratch-off, Salo is guaranteed to receive a minimum payment of $1,000,000 over 20 years. Once the $1,000,000 prize has been realized, he will continue to receive an annual check for $52,000 (net $32,398) a year for life.

Salo said he plans to fulfill his dream of going to college and pursuing a career in electrical engineering, but he's excited about some of the perks he'll be able to enjoy along the way.

"Of course I'd like a Lamborghini or Ferrari, but I think a new BMW is more in my price range," said the young Lottery millionaire. "Eventually, I'd like to buy a house, but for right now, I just want to enjoy life to the fullest."

Brooklyn Pharmacy Cashier Wins $1,000,000 Mega Money Multiplier Cash Prize

A native of Bangladesh, Kelvin Mandal, came to New York four years ago with a dream of starting a new life for him and his wife. The 29-year pharmacy cashier came one step closer to realizing his dream on May 2 when he scratched a Mega Money Multiplier scratch-off ticket and revealed a $1,000,000 top prize.

"I saw a 12 on the top and bottom of the ticket and knew right away it was big," said the excited winner. "I remember thinking, 'This will pay for the new house I've always wanted.'"

Mandal purchased his jackpot-winning ticket May 2 at Peralta Bueno on Pitkin Avenue in Brooklyn. He claimed his prize on May 3 at the Lottery's Beaver Street office in Manhattan.

The $1,000,000 prize on the Mega Money Multiplier ticket is paid as a lump sum. Mandal will receive a single net payment totaling $623,040.

Queens Man Credits Dream for Helping Him Win $5,000,000 Set For Life prize

Born in Korea, Hong Sok Kim has called Queens his home for the past 25 years. The 50-year-old father of two credits one of his daughters with inspiring him to buy a Set For Life scratch-off ticket worth at least $5,000,000.

"I had a dream," said Kim. "In the dream, my daughter handed me a $20 bill and told me to invest it wisely," he continued. "The next day, I bought a Lottery ticket."

Kim bought his life-changing ticket on May 1 at Key Foods on Parsons Boulevard in Flushing. 'I scratched it in the store and knew it was special, but I but didn't really understand its value," he said. Staff at the Lottery's Customer Service Center in Manhattan confirmed the ticket's full value on May 22 when Kim presented his $5,000,000 winner for payment.

The top prize on the Set for Life ticket guarantees the winner a minimum payout of $5,000,000 to be paid over 20 years. Once the $5,000,000 minimum has been realized, Kim will continue to receive an annual check totaling $260,000 (net $161,990) for life.

Kim said he had no immediate plans for the money.

Patchogue Retiree Treats Himself on Mother's Day, Wins $1,000,000 Scratch-Off Prize

Seventy-three-year-old Eliyahu "Eli" Cohen of Patchogue, Suffolk County, recently claimed a

$1,000,000 prize on the aptly named Million Dollar Scratch scratch-off game. Cohen bought his $5 ticket on May 13 following a stop at the ATM to get some cash to treat his wife to Mother's Day dinner.

"I stopped at the 7-Eleven on the way home and decided to pick up a treat for me before treating my wife to dinner," said the retired limousine service owner. "I thought, 'It's Mother's Day, maybe that will be lucky for me.'"

Cohen scratched the ticket in the store and, upon realizing it was a $1,000,000 winner, immediately brought the ticket home for safe keeping. An incredulous Cohen said he then brought the ticket to one additional store to run through a self-service ticket checker because he couldn't believe his own good luck.

"I called my son and he kept saying, 'Are you sure? Are you sure?' I said, I'm as sure as I can be until I can bring it in to claim it," said Cohen. "We were crazy all weekend," he continued. "I just couldn't wait to bring it in."

Cohen purchased his jackpot-winning his ticket at the 7-Eleven on Sunrise Highway in Oakdale. He claimed his ticket at 9 a.m. on Monday, May 14 at the Lottery's Customer Service Center in Garden City.

Cohen will receive his $1,000,000 prize in 20 annual payments of $50,000. His annual net check will total $33,090.

About the New York Lottery

The New York Lottery continues to be North America's largest and most profitable Lottery, contributing nearly $2.9 billion in fiscal year 2011-2012 to help support education in New York State. The Lottery's contribution represents nearly 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.

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