WHITE PLAINS – Darlene Smith of Valhalla won the $3 million top prize on the new “Instant Millionaire” scratch-off ticket from the New York Lottery when she stopped to pick up a birthday cake for her husband and bought a ticket.
The 27-year-veteran of the US Postal Service went to Stop and Shop for the ice cream cake and decided to buy a couple of lottery tickets from the vending machine.
Smith purchased her ticket on February 15 and claimed it later that day.
“My husband didn’t want to hang onto it for long,” Smith said. “I signed the back of the ticket and brought it in to claim.”
She has yet to decide how she would like to receive her prize money. She can take it in one lump sum after taxes of $1.5 million or in 20 annual payments of $150,000 with her netting $99,270.
As to what Smith will do with the money, “I’m still thinking about it, but I do know I want to be smart about it.”
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