New York's Lotto - The Jackpot Game That Started It All - Turns 30

SCHENECTADY, NY (12/04/2008)(readMedia)-- New York's Lotto game, the twice-weekly live drawing that has generated more than $7.2 billion in Lottery education aid since its debut in 1978, is turning 30. The game that in its 30 year history has turned over 1200 New Yorkers into Lottery Millionaires overnight has touched the lives of two more New York City residents in recent weeks - proving once again the Lotto game - and its jackpots - remain popular across generations of faithful Lotto players.

Lotto Subscriber, 37, Quick Picks His Way to $11,000,000 Jackpot Win

David "Dane" Endres of Manhattan took his brother's advice six years ago and started a Lotto subscription which let him select a set or multiple sets of numbers to be entered automatically into a pre-determined number of Lotto drawings. The advice paid off 11,000,000 times over when Endres' set of quick pick numbers matched the first six numbers in the November 1, 2008 Lotto drawing, leaving him $11,000,000 richer overnight.

"It's one of those things you do hoping that it will pay off someday," said Endres, a physical therapist in private practice on Manhattan's Upper East Side. "I honestly never thought I'd win millions - but that's exactly what happened!"

Endres was unaware of his good fortune until he received a call from Lottery officials who broke the good news. "My wife was pretty skeptical at first," admitted Endres. "It's just not a call you expect to get first thing in the morning, but we came around."

On his subscription form, Endres opted to receive his Lotto Jackpot prize in one lump sum payment. As the sole winner of the $11,000,000 Lotto jackpot, Endres will receive a one-time gross payment of $5,902,159. His net check, less federal, state and city taxes, will total $3,807,010.

The winning numbers for the November 1, 2008 Lotto drawing were 12 - 24 - 26 - 44 - 47 - 52 (Bonus Number 48).

Endres plans to spend a portion of his multi-million dollar Lotto prize to buy himself some new sports equipment, putting the rest away for his son's college education.

Endres is one of approximately 77,000 New Yorkers who participate in the Lotto Subscription program. He is the 45^th subscriber to win or share a Lotto jackpot since the program's inception in 1981. He is the second subscriber to win the jackpot this year joining Judith Kelly of Mahopac, who won a $12 million jackpot on January 9, 2008. Kelly also chose the lump sum payment.

Staten Island Grandma Uses Family Birthdays to Choose Winning Numbers Worth $6,000,000

Richmond County's Diana Jennings started playing Lotto when the game was introduced 30 years ago. The 58-year-old grandmother finally "hit the big one" when she matched the first six numbers drawn in the live Lotto drawing that aired on November 15, 2008. Using a mix of her children's birthdates and ages, Jennings selected 1 - 8 - 27 - 42 - 44 - 49 (Bonus Number 17) on her Lotto playcard and handed it to the store clerk at the South Shore Deli & Convenience on Amboy Road in Staten Island. The next day she confirmed her winning numbers in the local newspaper.

"My family means everything to me," said the mother of two and grandmother of three. "I'm so happy I can share this with them."

Jennings opted to receive her Lotto Jackpot prize in one lump sum payment. As the sole winner of the $6,000,000 Lotto jackpot, Jennings will receive a one-time gross payment of $3,301,863. Her net check, less federal, state and city taxes, will total $2,129,767.

Jennings purchased her $6,000,000 winning ticket on November 14, 2008 and waited until November 21, 2008 to claim her prize at the Lottery's Customer Service Center in Manhattan because she was "still in shock over the whole thing."

Jennings' immediate plans for the money include a family vacation and a donation to charity.

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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