PHOTO: JOHN ANGELILLO/UPI/SHUTTERSTOCK
A lucky man in New York City claimed a whopping $476 million lottery prize!
Johnnie Taylor, 71, who recently retired from his job as a handyman in Manhattan, won April’s Mega Millions jackpot with the lucky numbers 23-2-4-48-51 and Mega Ball 22, according to lottery officials.
Taylor said his wife was skeptical at first and that he had to go online to show her his matching numbers to prove the good news was true. “It still doesn’t feel real,” he added.
The $476 million prize is the largest Mega Millions prize won in New York State since the game launched in the state in 2002, according to the New York State lottery website. The previous record was a $437 million jackpot sold in Huntington in 2019.
Taylor decided to take home the prize in a lump sum payment totaling over $157 million after taxes, and he already has some plans for how he will spend it. Lottery officials say he will use it towards travel, buying a new home and car, and that he also wants to donate some to his local church.
Liberty Beer and Convenience located on Liberty Avenue in Ozone Park, where the winning ticket was purchased, also earned a $10,000 bonus for selling the jackpot-winning ticket.
“The New York Lottery congratulates Mr. Taylor on winning this historic jackpot, the sales for which brought millions of dollars to New York’s public schools and lottery retailers across the state,” said New York State Gaming Commission Chairman Brian O’Dwyer in a statement on the website.
The lottery on April 14 generated more than $21 million for education, $4.1 million in commissions for retailers and $10.4 million in non-jackpot winnings for players, the lottery website said.
Revenue from the New York Lottery is distributed to local school districts, with larger lower-income school districts receiving greater shares of the Lottery school funding. According to the lottery website the lottery contributed $3.6 billion in fiscal year 2021-2022 to help support education in New York State.
Soucre: people.com
