Pleasant Valley Truck Driver Gets Ticket Worth at Least $1,000,000
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – Fifty-one-year-old Daniel Hughes of Pleasant Valley,
Dutchess County takes great pride in his
expertise behind the wheel of his 18-wheeler. So, to say the veteran tri-state
hauler was shocked at the ticket he picked up during a recent delivery to the
Capital Region “would be an understatement,” according to Hughes’ wife of 26
years, Patricia. The ticket turned out to be a top prize winner on the New York
Lottery’s Win $1,000 A Week For Life
game. The $2 scratch-off Hughes purchased out of a convenience store vending
machine offers a guaranteed minimum prize of $1,000,000.
Hughes purchased his winning Win $1,000 A Week For Life scratch-off on February 24 at the
Village Mobil on Wolf Road in Colonie during a routine stop in the Capital
Region. "I stopped for coffee before getting on the Thruway and decided to
get a ticket on the way out,” explained the father of two. “I scratched it in
the cab of my truck and had to sit there for a while to let it sink in.” Hughes
said he thought about calling Patricia to break the news, but then
reconsidered. “I knew she wouldn’t believe me,” he laughed. Hughes said he got
back on the road and began the 90-minute return trip to his depot in
Poughkeepsie. “It was the longest trip of my life,” he said.
Hughes opted to split the prize with his wife,
netting each a 50 percent share of the guaranteed $1,000,000 minimum prize. The
couple claimed their prize on February 27 at the Lottery's Customer Service
Center in Fishkill. "Of course, we're thankful we won," he said. "But,
I don't see too much changing. This is college money for the kids and a chance
to breathe a little easier."
Hughes and his wife will each receive 19 annual
payments of $26,000 (net $17,207) and a 20th payment of $6,000 (net $3,971) to
reach their respective share of the $1,000,000 minimum prize. Once the minimum
threshold has been met, Daniel and Patricia will continue to receive individual
net checks totaling $17,207 each year for the rest of Daniel's life. When
pressed about any plans to celebrate the couple's new found wealth, Daniel
conceded it might be time to invest in a new pair of sneakers. "The ones I
have are pretty shot," he said.
The Hughes' $1,000,000 win makes them Dutchess
County's first Lottery millionaires of 2012. Other recent Dutchess County
Lottery players to claim a prize of $1,000,000 or more include Vincent Cipriani
of Poughkeepsie who won at least $10,000,000 on the Win For Life
Spectacular scratch-off in May of 2011, and Jessica Lopez of Poughkeepsie
who claimed her $1,000,000 prize on the Big Bills scratch-off in
August of 2011.
About the New York Lottery
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.
