Hornell Resident Receives Christmas/Birthday Present of a Lifetime

SCHENECTADY, NY (01/15/2010)(readMedia)-- Christmas Day is a special day for thirty-two-year-old Nicole Shinebarger of Hornell. It's not only her favorite holiday, it's also her birthday. This past Christmas was extra special for Shinebarger because that was the day she purchased her $1,000,000 winning The Price is Right instant ticket at the Convenient Food Mart on Main Street in Hornell.

"Christmas Day is always an exciting day for me," said the mother of two. "I can't think of a better Christmas AND Birthday present than winning $1,000,000! It feels like a miracle!"

Shinebarger claimed her ticket on December 28th at the Lottery's Customer Service Center in Rochester.

"My father gave me $50 for my birthday so I decided to try my luck on some Lottery tickets," said Shinebarger. "I scratched the ticket in a friend's car and realized I hit the Jackpot. I immediately called Jeremy, my husband, with the amazing news. He didn't believe me at first, but I think he's a believer now," she joked.

As with most Lottery instant games, the top prize on the The Price is Right instant ticket is awarded in 20 annual payments. Shinebarger will receive her $1,000,000 prize in 20 annual installments of $50,000 each, netting her $33,015 per year.

Shinebarger, who works as a nurse at St. James Mercy Hospital, has no plans for an early retirement. "I truly love my job and plan to continue working. I do have some plans for the money though. A nice deck and hot tub out in the back yard would be a dream come true."

The Lottery introduced the $5 The Price is Right instant game in March 2009. Shinebarger is the third player statewide to claim one of the four $1,000,000 top prizes available on the ticket. Top prize winning tickets are disbursed randomly across more than 16,000 licensed Lottery retail locations statewide. The odds of winning the $1,000,000 top prize are approximately 1 in 2.5 million.

The New York Lottery continues to be North America's largest and most profitable Lottery, earning more than $36.7 billion in education support statewide since its founding over 40 years ago. The Lottery contributed nearly $2.54 billion in fiscal year 2008-09 to help support education in New York State, which was over 12 percent of total state education funding to local school districts. The Lottery's ongoing commitment to education also includes the awarding of more than 1,100 Leaders of Tomorrow (LOT) Scholarships annually to high school students pursuing their higher education in New York State. Since 1999, the Lottery has awarded more than 11,500 scholarships representing a total commitment of almost $50 million.

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