$10m Win after Half a Century of Buying Scratchcards from the Same Store

$10M WIN AFTER HALF A CENTURY OF BUYING SCRATCHCARDS FROM THE SAME STORE

66-year-old Michael Marks from Hartsdale in New York, USA, has been playing the lottery for all his entire adult life and it’s finally paid off with a $10m win on the $10,000 a Week for Life scratchcard.He hasn’t just been playing the lottery for years and years, the lucky $10,000 a Week for Life scratchcard winner has been buying his tickets from the same store every day since the 1960s. It was when getting a coffee from the A-Plus store in the Suncoco gas station in Hartsdale that he bought the winning scratchcard."This is my store," Marks told the New York State Lottery. "I come in here every day for a cup of coffee and my scratch-off tickets." Changing the store, you regularly purchase your lottery tickets from can pay dividends. It certainly did for Joseph Ruiz from Kansas, USA, who won $10,000 playing Mega Millions.When he scanned his $10,000 a Week for Life scratchcard, he knew that a big win had happened. "The machine lit up and said big winner, see lottery agent," he said. "I asked the retailer for a pen, locked myself in the bathroom and signed the ticket." Not every player has to wait so long for a big win. Canadian Charles Caron won a $675,000 Set for Life prize with his very first scratchcard.This is the latest big win in New York after Nandlall Mangal from Staten Island won a $245.6mPowerball jackpot. Ramiro Chagolla Arreaga celebrated after a $3m win on a “$3,000,000 Mayhem” scratchcard.When some big jackpots are won, players have the option to receive their winnings as an annuity or a one-off payment. The lucky player has decided to receive his $10,000 a Week for Life scratchcard winnings as annual instalments of $520,00 a year every year for the rest of his life. After withholdings have been taken the $10,000 a Week for Life scratchcard winner will receive $349,336 a year.Steven Nickell from Oregon, USA, chose to accept his $150.4m Powerball win as a one-off payment of $61m after taxes. However, 18-year-old Canadian Charlie Lagarde chose to receive her "Gagnant a vie!" Québec scratchcard win as $1,000 a week for life rather than a lump sum payment of $1m."This really is amazing," Marks said. "I really haven't given much thought to how I'll spend the money yet. Right now, I just plan to enjoy life."Plan your new life and purchase your tickets online at Lottery24.com.