In 27 years of buying New York State lottery tickets, mostly scratch-offs, Paul Schneider has won a lot of little prizes, and even scored a $1,000 win about 20 years ago. But he kept at it because he knew it was going to happen sooner or later.
“I’ve had some other amounts, but I’ve always anticipated the big one,” said the 47-year-old Lockport resident who currently services propane tanks for Irish Welding Supply at Clinton Street and Bailey Avenue in Buffalo. US lottery
On Jan. 5, it finally happened. Schneider won $1 million on a $5 scratch-off ticket in a game called “Big Bills.” And after he won, the game was retired, Lottery spokeswoman Carolyn Hapeman said. Lottery results
“He beat odds of 1 in 2 1/2 million, 2.53 million to be exact,” Hapeman said. “Paul actually bought the last ticket with the $1 million [prize].”
Schneider was introduced last Tuesday as a winner at the Noco gas station on South Transit Road, where he bought his winning ticket and he says he has bought about 90 percent of his lottery tickets there over the years.
For this win, Schneider matched the number 14 on the top and bottom halves of the ticket.
The morning after scratching his ticket, Schneider showed up for work at 6 a.m. as usual and left after a couple of hours for the Buffalo office of the state Lottery Division.
“I was there when they opened at 8:30,” he said.
As standard for scratch-off millionaires, Schneider will collect the $1 million in 20 annual installments of $50,000 each, Hapeman said. After state and federal income taxes are withheld, Schneider will receive an annual check for $33,090 through 2031. And even though that is good, it’s not enough for him to quit his job, so he won’t.
When asked what he would do with his money, he said “I’ll take a little vacation and let it ride for the rest of the year.”
The vacation will be in Texas, where he will get together with his girlfriend of 18 years, Laura Muench.
Of Laura’s reaction to his win, he said, “She couldn’t believe it” as she got the first call and the second went to his 75-year-old mother, Georgia Schneider in East Otto.
After his news conference at Noco, Schneider headed to Pour Boyz, a bar where he’s a regular and co-owner Paul DiVincenzo was thrilled for his customer.
“Bill Gates usually wins. Paul’s one of the ones who deserves to win. He’s a working stiff like the rest of us,” DiVincenzo said.
Hapeman said Schneider is the 17th Niagara County resident and the sixth from Lockport to win $1 million in a state lottery game, the biggest Lockport winner was Peggy Dowell, who won a $8 million jackpot in 2006.
New York’s lottery games raised $3 billion for public education in the 2010-11 fiscal year, which represented 15 percent of the state’s school spending.
Congratulations to Mr. Schneider!
