Michael Levy will never forget the New York lottery tickets he purchased on Friday, February 13.
A 46 year-old security guard, Levy, is no stranger to playing lottery scratch-off tickets, but he never had this kind of luck. He received a prize of $1 million at Tavern on the Green in Manhattan.
“I buy them to help me stay awake in the early morning hours; and I usually win something so it’s worth it,” Levy said.
Levy was working his routine shift at a Bronx construction site when he got the winning Holiday Cashword scratch-off ticket.
“I buy the Holiday Cashword tickets because I figure everyone else is buying the newer games,” Levy said.
Levy rushed home to his wife in Jackson Heights after his security shift ended on February 11 to show her the lucky million-dollar ticket.
“She wasn’t 100 percent convinced at first, but she came around when I showed her the ticket,” Levy said.
According to Levy, his top spending priority is to pay off some debt and buy a house for his family in Queens.
“I would very much like to do that for my family,” Levy said.
The New York Lottery presented Levy with a $1 million check during a ceremony held at Tavern on the Green on February 24, but Levy claimed his prize earlier on during the month at a Manhattan Service Center on February 13.
Levy will receive a net check for a little over $600,000 after taxes are deducted and will forever consider Friday, February 13, 2009 “the luckiest day ever.”
