CICERO, N.Y. -- A Madison County woman who won the $1 million jackpot on a New York Lottery scratch-off game said she didn’t think the ticket was real.
“I brought the ticket in to my husband and he couldn’t believe it either,” said Lori McGee, 57, of Bridgeport. “So, we brought it in the kitchen and he got the magnifying glass out to look at the ticket."
McGee said her husband, Tim, said: “we won a million dollars, don’t tell anybody,’” So McGee said she signed the ticket and hid it at the bottom of the trash can under the bag of garbage for safekeeping.
Lottery spokesperson Yolanda Vega presented McGee with a ceremonial prize check this afternoon at the Kwik Fill store on Route 31 in Cicero, where McGee purchased the winning “20X the Bills” scratch-off ticket. The ticket costs $5.
McGee will receive her $1 million prize in annual installments of $50,000 before withholdings. She will receive a net check totaling $33,590 annually for 20 years.
According to the latest game report from the New York State Lottery, the “20X the Bills” scratch-off game still has three unclaimed top prize tickets. There are also 29 unclaimed second-prize tickets worth $2,000 each.
McGee said she plans to share her winnings with her family, take a vacation and buy a bigger boat.
What was going through her head when her husband confirmed that the ticket was real?
“I was going to take care of him the rest of my life,” she said of her husband.