NY Lottery Instant Ticket Turns Newlywed’s Dinner Surprise Into $1,000,000 Winner

SCHENECTADY, NY (11/12/2008)(readMedia)-- Until recently, 23-year-old newlywed Jasmine "Jazzy" Reynolds of Wolcott, Wayne County, thought the recipe for a happy marriage included the right mix of love and laughter with a little adventure thrown in for good measure. Now, the bride of two years and recent $1,000,000 Lottery scratch off prize winner believes there may be more to it, noting, "A little luck doesn't hurt either."

Reynolds purchased her winning $1,000,000 Monopoly scratch off ticket after her shift ended at Bob's Big M supermarket where she has been employed as a deli clerk for the past four years. Her lucky purchase proved to be the icing on a plan to serve up a surprise manicotti dinner for her husband, Michael, a driver for the Wolcott-based D & L Disposal & Recycling.

"I bought everything I needed for our dinner with $5 to spare so I bought a Monopoly (instant) ticket from the machine at the front of the store," Reynolds said. "I don't know why I picked that one over all the others - I guess it just looked good to me."

Reynolds, who plans to continue working at the supermarket, said she's been buying Lottery scratch off tickets at a rate of one ticket per week since she turned 18.

"It's a fun way to win some extra cash every now and then," she said, adding, "Sometimes, it's much more than you expect!" Reynolds will receive her $1,000,000 prize in 20 annual payments of $50,000 each, less required tax withholdings, for the next 20 years. Her yearly net take will total $34, 075.

Reynolds purchased her $1,000,000 Monopoly instant ticket at Bob's Big M on Park Lane in Wolcott on October 19, 2008. She scratched it while walking home from work; stopping for a second to check and re-check the ticket before sprinting the rest of the way home screaming her husband's name along the way. The ticket remained in the couple's fire-safe lock box until October 22, 2008 when Reynolds traveled to the Lottery's Customer Service Center in Syracuse to claim her prize on her day off.

When asked about any plans for her sudden wealth, Reynolds said her first purchase would be a safety fence for her three beloved Chihuahuas. The rest will be put into a savings account for future use.

"Everything else will have to wait until the shock wears off," she said. "That may take a while."

The New York Lottery contributed nearly $2.6 billion to help support education in New York State on revenues of $7.549 billion in fiscal year 2007-08 - - a profit margin of 34.3%. The New York Lottery continues to be North America's largest and most profitable Lottery, earning over $34.2 billion in education support statewide since its founding over 40 years ago.

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