#megamillions New York Couple Splits $17,000,000 Mega Millions Jackpot with Player from Illinois

July 22nd, 2008

 

Schenectady, NY "“ Edward and Bertha "Ellen" Hopper of Tompkins Cove, Rockland County, today collected their fifty-percent share of a $17,000,000 jackpot from the Mega Millions multi-state drawing held on May 23, 2008.

 

The couple's share of the annuitized jackpot totaled $8,500,000. The Hoppers opted to receive their prize as a lump sum with each claiming fifty percent of the prize. Each received a prize check valued at $2,588,307, less required tax withholdings. Their individual net checks totaled $1,763,931.

 

Hopper, a retired truck driver, said he used a combination of winning numbers from another Lottery scratch-off game and random luck to help him choose his numbers for this particular Mega Millions drawing. The lucky combination for the $17,000,000 jackpot was 4 - 8 "“ 11 "“ 22 - 30 with the Mega Ball 4.

 

Hopper purchased the couple's winning ticket on May 21, 2008 at Vails Gate on New Windsor Highway in New Windsor. The store received a $10,000 cash bonus for selling the winning ticket.

 

The Hoppers saw their winning numbers printed in the newspaper the day following the drawing, but waited until June 20, 2008 to claim their prize at the Lottery's Customer Service Center in Fishkill.

 

The new Mega millionaires plan to use a portion of their prize to buy a new house and take a long-awaited vacation.

 

Illinois Lottery officials confirm the second winning ticket sold for the May 23, 2008 Mega Millions drawing was claimed on June 13, 2008 by Terry Hackman of Franklin Grove, IL.

 

The New York Lottery contributed nearly $2.6 billion to help support education in New York State on revenues of $7.549 billion in fiscal year 2007-08 - - a profit margin of 34.3%. Last year, the Lottery's earnings accounted for over 13% of total state education funding. The New York Lottery continues to be North America's largest and most profitable Lottery, earning over $34.2 billion in education support statewide since its founding over 40 years ago.

This press release is mirrored from http://www.megamillions.com/. We do not own a copyright on it and we are not the original press contact.