A Pennsylvania man is feeling very well, thank you, after he won a $7 million lottery prize from a ticket that was enclosed in a get-well card from his father.
"I don't play the lottery at all, but my father is a retired hospital administrator-turned-avid Lottery player," Joseph Amorese of Easton, Pennsylvania, said, according to the New York Lottery.
Amorese's father sent the $7 Million Golden Ticket scratch card inside a greeting card, while Amorese recovered at home from surgery.
"I scratched the ticket and it was a good thing I was already sitting down because I was shocked. I was and still am in complete disbelief," Amorese, 46, said.
The Verizon employee said he immediately called his dad, who lives in Congers, New York, to double-check the winnings.
"I sent him a picture of the ticket and he said, 'Yup, you won $7,000,000!'"
He also called his wife, Jodi, a social worker.
"I said, Honey, I think we won $7,000,000. And there was silence on the other end for a long time. She was too stunned to talk."
The ticket was purchased at Just a Dollar in New City, New York.
Amorese's father declined to say if his son will reward him.
"I just wish him the very, very best, and I'm happy for him," he said.
When asked if he typically sends his son greeting cards, he said, "Well sure, you know, for Easter, Christmas and birthdays."
"Do I usually include a ticket? Yeah," Amorese's father said with a laugh. "I'm retired and I have time on my hands. You know, you want them to get something but if they get $100, they'll be happy. Most of us don't usually think you're going to hit the jackpot."
That will get anyone well. Congrats to him!
Ok, he lives in PA, and won in NY --- what's the tax hit?
I am thinking BOTH states get a cut?
He will pay taxes in ny out of the check. He will then give in one taxes with New York and get most of it back. He will then file income taxes with pa and write them a check for what he got back from ny and possible a little more..... All this will happen in January.
what ??? ----"He will then give in one taxes with New York and get most of it back"
Congratulation to Joseph Amorese, on his win. Since it give to him by his father, since his father doesn't is not asking for anything, I believe they will do something nice for him.
Congrats to Joseph Amorese on his winning ticket! I also think that he will probably give something to his father.
What a great story to read.
Lesson here is that small acts of kindness are very important parts of life.
I think what he means is that when you live in one state and earn income from another state, you first pay your home state's income tax on the amount that was earned (in this case "won"), and then if the other state the income was earned in (where the ticket was purchased) has a higher tax rate than your home state, you pay the difference between the two states to the other state.
In this case PA does not claim to tax lottery winnings, but NY has a state tax of 8.82%, so the winner will probably end up paying the 8.82% NY state tax only, with no state tax paid to PA. (In addition to Federal taxes, of course.)
Wow! Good for him. I am sure he will share with his father.
"I don't play the lottery at all, but my father is a retired hospital administrator-turned-avid Lottery player," Joseph Amorese of Easton, Pennsylvania, said, according to the New York Lottery.
It goes to show you how this thing is ruthlessly random. A non player winning all that money while a serious player walks home with empty pockets and fresh ideas of how he could win the next time.
The funny thing, I heard about this this morning on the way to work, from the radio morning show I listen to. They played a clip from a talk show, who said that when he finished paying his hospital bill, he would go home with $900.
I was thinking of how lucky this guy is, and hope that he does something nice for his father.
And that is why I sign the back of any ticket that I give as a gift so that even if you win big, so do I. I'll be <snip>ed if I have to go through life thinking I finally bought the winning big one and gave it away.
5...4...3....2....