Hamburg Powerball Player Misses Jackpot by One Number, Wins $2,000,000 Power Play Prize

HAMBURG, NY (10/18/2012)(readMedia)-- Stanley Scott of Hamburg, Erie County is a creature of habit. The father of three and grandfather of seven enjoys his Sunday morning treks to the neighborhood store to buy a Sunday paper and his Lottery tickets for the week. Thursday evenings are spent checking the winning numbers on the Lottery's website. Scott's routine came to an abrupt, albeit happy ending on Thursday, September 27 when the medical professional discovered one of the 10 sets of Quick Pick numbers he purchased for the September 26 Powerball drawing was worth $2,000,000.

"I kept circling numbers until I had five," said the Lottery buff. "I checked again on the Lottery website. I waited to call my wife until I went back to the store to verify what I saw. She told me she wouldn't believe me until we turned it in."

Scott's $2,000,000 second-prize resulted from his decision to purchase the Power Play option with his Quick Pick numbers for the September 26 drawing. Power Play is an optional, add-on feature available to all Powerball players for an additional $1 per set of numbers played. The feature allows players to multiply any non-jackpot prize up to four times the original amount. The standard Powerball second prize for matching the first five numbers drawn is $1,000,000. Because Scott opted to add the Power Play option, his prize automatically doubled to $2,000,000.

The winning numbers for the September 26 Powerball drawing were 13 26 39 41 42 Powerball 10. Mary & Brian Lohse of Bondurant, Iowa claimed the sole jackpot-winning ticket from that evening's drawing worth $202,100,000.

Scott purchased his life-changing ticket on September 23 at the 7-Eleven at 4931 Lakeshore Rd. in Hamburg. He claimed his prize on September 28 at the Lottery's Customer Service Center at 165 Genesee Street in Buffalo. All Powerball second prizes are paid as a single, lump sum. Scott will receive a one-time net payment totaling $1,323,600 after required withholdings.

The 70-year-old Scott said his plans for his windfall were simple. "I'll start a retirement investment fund... not that I have any plans to retire any time soon."

Scott is the fourth Erie County Lottery player to win or share a jackpot prize of $1,000,000 or more so far this year. Other recent jackpot winners include members of the Winer 13 group who split a $1,000,000 Powerball second prize in April; Ronald Clark of Akron who won a $1,000,000 Sweet Million prize in July; and John Bunce of Depew who won a $1,000,000 top prize on the Cash Blast scratch-off game in August.

The New York Lottery contributed $186,760,842.15 in Lottery Aid To Education to school districts throughout Erie County during fiscal year 2011-12.

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.