New York Lottery: Grocer, couple cash in on lotteryRating:Who says it's bad luck to be superstitious? Not Woon-Sook Chon of Flushing.
The Korean-born owner of the Flushing-based Cherry Blossom food store stopped in at the Union Deli Grocery on 38th Street to buy a Korean newspaper — and walked out not only with her paper, but also a $500,000,000 Extravaganza instant Lottery ticket worth $5 million.
"My niece told me of a dream she had the night before," said Chon, 49. "In this dream, I was rich," she continued. "I decided it was a good day to try my luck."
Chon said she scratched her $500,000,000 Extravaganza ticket while sitting in her car, with her niece, June, watching from the passenger seat.
The two women screamed when Chon scratched the last row of numbers on her ticket, to reveal a matching number worth $5,000,000. "This is my American dream come true," she said. "You never know; dreams do come true."
Chon will receive her $5,000,000 prize in 20 annual payments of $250,000 each, before taxes. Her annual net check will total $155,955.
She and her husband, John, plan to use their new fortune to invest in property in New York City.
Coffee run pays off
Roberta and Robert Andreoli of Hollis Hills decided to get coffee at A K Deli on Union Turnpike in Flushing on Friday, September 4. It's a good thing they didn't get it to go.
"My husband and I went into the deli for coffee. We didn't plan to buy Lottery tickets," said Roberta, a New York City school counselor. But when they got to the counter, they bought two different scratch-off tickets, including a "Stacks of Cash" on a whim.
"We sat down to drink the coffee and the next thing we know, we're both shaking because we can't believe we won $3 million," she exclaimed.
"We kept it in a safe over the long Labor Day weekend," Roberta explained. "We kept taking it out over the weekend to look at it, just to make sure it was real."
She credits their good fortune to "being at the right place at the right time."
When the Andreolis got to the Lottery Customer Service Center in Manhattan the following Tuesday with the last outstanding top-prize ticket, Lottery officials retired the Stacks of Cash game.
Andreoli will receive 20 annual payments of $150,000 each before taxes. She will receive an annual net check totaling $93,573 through 2028.
The couple plans to use their windfall to pay off their children's college loans, take a nice family vacation, and donate to charity.
(Click to display in gallery)
(Click to display in gallery)
