A $56 million New York Lotto ticket was sold at the Gold Star Deli on Arsenal Street, Watertown, New York.
Deli owner Scott Hirst told NewsWatch50 a Lottery official called him with the news Sunday morning, telling him to expect some publicity.
"I received a phone call today from the New York State Lottery informing me that I'd sold a $56 million winner this week sometime, probably Saturday," he said.
Hirst said the Lottery asked him not to reveal who the winner is if he in fact knows.
Hirst told NewsWatch50 he is 95 per cent certain he does know, and that the winner is a male who is a regular customer of the Deli.
"I have a kind of a gut feeling who it is, I believe it to be one of my regular customers. I'm about 95 per cent sure who had it. I saw them this morning," he said.
Hirst said the man was back at the Deli today for a Lottery claim form.
The Lottery official told Hirst they would plan on arranging a press conference with the winner, once the identity is known.
"It's kind of exciting," Hirst said. "I have to laugh because everyone, including you, think the retailer gets a cut of this, like it's a big windfall for us. But actually what we got was the six cents when we sold the ticket."
The Lottery website says the winning numbers in Saturday's drawing were 1-2-11-30-39-48 and the bonus number, 21.
The website says there was only one ticket that matched all six numbers for a prize of $56 million and that it was sold in Jefferson County.
Hirst said that previous to this, his biggest winner was in the Take 5 game, for $72,000, about eight years ago.
"I've always wondered, the thousand and thousands of tickets we sell, you know if we were ever going to sell a jackpot winner like that," Hirst said. "I mean there haven't been that many in the North Country to begin with. But I guess we've got one right here in Watertown."
If you know who the winner of the $56 million is, please send us an e-mail on our Contact page.
They don't get a bonus? Ouch. But hey, it must be nice to know that little 'ol Watertown now has a millionaire in it's realm.
CASH Only rant about the NY Lottery and their payback percentages in 3...2...1....
Wonder if the winner chose cash. Either case, the tax people will form a line down the street and around the block. Then after the state publishes their name and city, the leeches will know exactly where to go to beg or steal whatever is left over. Hope the winner has enough sense to take an advance and move to another state.
I will do it for him, what a joke, to not give the owner a bonus. NY buy far has the worst lottery in the nation. Why do they still have the pick ten game, when is the last time someone won that, what a joke. I Just dont understand how that lottery only rolls 3 million per, when it pays out 1 lousy dollar on 3 out of 6 with a long matrix. Nobody plays the garbage that is why. If they did jack up the % to the normal 50% you would prob have 5-10 million rolls. Dopes. That includes you to Yolanda Vega.
Busting on the lottery is one thing, but dissing Yolanda is wack.
Todd:
If you play NY Lotto, you're liable to go "bust".
well it looks like one player didn't go bust.this jackpot winner here is bursting with money.
IIRC the previous single-ticket NY Lotto record was $45 million by three different players, with only one choosing cash.
IIRC the previous single-ticket NY Lotto record was $45 million by three different players, with only one choosing cash.
Nope, it was won by one person who chose annuity. And they're loving life.
Busting on the lottery is one thing, but dissing Yolanda is wack.
You got that right Todd, they should not mess with Yolanda.
When I win I'm going to give her a tip, :)
Busting on the lottery is one thing, but dissing Yolanda is wack.
You got that right Todd, they should not mess with Yolanda.
When I win I'm going to give her a tip, :)
As a matter of fact they can keep the millions, just give me Yolanda Vega, LOL :)
todd:
What I meant was three different players won $45 million each, only one chose cash.
Oh, OK.
Did you check out in the article where it states:
He had to make the choice when he bought the ticket. Most people know to take the lump sum. Why he went the other way, I really don't care.