Putnam County, NY Largest Streak Continues With $12 million lotto win

Putnam County's Largest Streak Continues With $12 million Lotto Win
(Mahopac Lotto Subscriber Claims County’s 5th Millionaire Check in Six Months)

Schenectady, NY - No matter how you pronounce it, “May-O-pac” or “Mah-HO-pac,” there’s one thing that everyone can agree on: Mahopac, NY, population 8,478, is a lucky place to live, especially if you play the Lottery.

The New York Lottery today presented a $12,000,000 prize check to 68-year-old Judith Kelly, a long-time “Mah-HO-pac” resident and a long-time Lotto subscriber. Kelly said she purchased her play-from-home Lotto subscription because she and her husband figured “someone had to win and the money went to support education.”

A Lotto subscriber since 1996, Kelly’s lucky quick pick numbers - 18 32 50 51 53 58 - were automatically entered into the January 9, 2008 drawing. She said she didn’t know she was a winner until the Lottery broke the good news – to her husband.

“I don’t remember a thing,” said Kelly. “I know my husband called me and then I called the Lottery, but after that, it’s all a blank. It hasn’t sunk in yet.”

As the sole winner of the $12,000,000 Lotto jackpot, Kelly opted to receive her prize in one lump sum payment totaling $6,701,742. She will take home $4,567,237 after required tax withholdings.

Kelly is one of approximately 83,000 New Yorkers statewide who participate in the Lotto Subscription program. Players who purchase a Lotto subscription select how many games they want to play per drawing and how many weeks they want to play. Subscribers have their lucky numbers or a computer-generated set of a quick pick numbers entered automatically into the twice weekly Lotto drawings at a discounted rate.

Kelly is the first Putnam County resident of 2008 to receive a Lottery prize check valued at $1,000,000 or more. She is the county’s 5th new Lottery Millionaire in the past six months leading some to ask what’s behind this Lottery hot streak.

“Random luck plain and simple,” said Lottery Drawing Emcee Marissa Rodriguez. “We have more games and more prizes and more people playing then ever before earning record revenues for education. It’s a lucky streak for all concerned.”

Other recent Putnam County Lottery Millionaires include two-time Lotto winners Eugene Angelo and family ($2,500,000 in 1996 and $5,000,000 in 2007); Mega Millions jackpot winner William J. Albertson of Mahopac ($75,000,000); James O’Mara of Mahopac ($1,000,000); and Raymond Steadman of Lake Peekskill ($1,000,000).

Kelly said she had no immediate plans for her sudden windfall aside from some new carpeting. “We’ll do good things with it,” she said. “That’s the extent of our plans for now.”