Port Chester is Home to Third Lottery Jackpot Winner of 2011

PORT CHESTER, NY (12/05/2011)(readMedia)-- Marilyn Garcia-John, a bank teller in her hometown of Port Chester, is the third village resident so far this year to win a $1,000,000 top prize on a New York Lottery scratch-off game. Garcia-John won her windfall on the Lottery's Black Pearls scratch-off ticket.

Westchester County's latest Lottery player turned Lottery millionaire said her sudden windfall happened when she decided to break out of her usual routine. "I never play the Lottery but decided that day was going to be different," she said. "I bought a Lottery ticket on the way home from work, which is highly unusual for me." The Dominican Republic native said she forgot about the ticket until later that evening. "I was cleaning up from dinner when my eldest son saw it in my bag and started nagging me to play it," explained the mother of three. "I scratched the ticket and then started looking for my glasses because I couldn't believe my eyes."

Garcia-John purchased her $1,000,000-winning Black Pearls ticket this summer at the Port Chester Mini Mart on Westchester Ave. She said she had a very practical reason for choosing the Black Pearls game. "My birthstone is a pearl," she said.

As with most scratch-off games, the top prize on the Black Pearls ticket is paid as $50,000 a year for 20 years. Garcia-John will receive an annual net check totaling $33,015 through 2030. "I've been thinking about what to do with the prize," said the bank employee. "I know some will go to my church and some will toward college for my boys. The rest will go in the bank for now."

The other Lottery players from Port Chester who received a jackpot prize check in 2011 include Juan Carlos Gonzalez who won $1,000,000 on the Mega Millions Instant Ticket in March and Martin Ocampo who claimed his $1,000,000 prize on the New York Poker scratch-off game in August.

The New York Lottery continues to be North America's largest and most profitable Lottery, contributing over $3 billion in fiscal year 2010-2011 to help support education in New York State. The Lottery's aid represents over 15 percent of total state education funding to local school districts.

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.

###