Winners from St. Lawrence and Jefferson Counties Collect $6,000,000 in Prizes

SCHENECTADY, NY -- Thirty-seven-year-old Peter LaPoint of Massena is St. Lawrence County’s first Lottery Millionaire of 2008. The father of two said he was shocked when he scratched his Millionaire’s Club instant ticket to reveal the top prize of $3,000,000.

“Winning the Lottery is like bowling a 300,” said LaPoint. “It feels like a weight has been taken off my shoulders.”

An avid bowler, LaPoint said his win brings back memories of the perfect game he bowled in 1998. “I thought I was in elite company back then,” he said. “But nothing compares to this.” LaPoint joins five other St. Lawrence County Lottery players who have won a Lottery top prize valued at $1,000,000 or more; the most recent being Nancy Grimshaw of Hermon who won $5,000,000 on the $5,000,000 Spectacular instant ticket.

LaPoint, who works as a grocery supervisor at Massena’s First Americans IGA, bought his lucky ticket on April 22, 2008 at Kinney Drugs on North Main Street in Massena while on his way to a bowling tournament in Rochester. He claimed his $3,000,000 winner at the Lottery’s Syracuse Customer Service Center on April 24th. He will receive 20 annual payments of $150,000 each, less required tax withholdings. His net check will total $102,225.

He said he considers himself “an occasional” Lottery player. “I won $75 once on a different instant game and thought that was lucky,” he said. “I guess there’s luck and then there’s this!” LaPoint said he had big plans for his $3,000,000 prize. “Buying a new house has been a priority of mine for some time,” said LaPoint. “It feels great to know that now I can finally make it a reality.”

58-year-old Gail Gray of Redwood, Jefferson County, won her $3,000,000 prize playing the popular New York Millions instant game. The self-described “family person” said her lucky purchase almost didn’t happen.

“I normally play Royal Riches, but the store was out of that game,” said the stay-at-home mother of four. “So I settled for the New York Millions ticket instead. Talk about a lucky break!” Gray said she looked forward to being an “old homebody” spending time with her grandson.

She purchased her winning ticket on April 29, 2008 at the Mall Liquor Store in Alexandria Bay and claimed it the same day at the Lottery’s Customer Service Center in Syracuse. She will receive 20 annual payments of $150,000 each, less required tax withholdings. Her net check will total $102,225. She plans to use the money to pay off some bills and travel with her husband of 39 years, George.

Gail is the ninth Jefferson County Lottery player to claim a top prize valued at $1,000,000 or more. The county’s largest winner was Garry McGivney when he won a $56,000,000 Lotto prize in July 2005.

The New York Lottery contributed nearly $2.6 billion to help support education in New York State on incoming 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.