A $1 ticket results in a $1 million prize for Irondequoit, N.Y., woman

Drawing Date: 11/15/2013

December 13, 2013 - Migdalia Julia of Irondequoit, Monroe County has a plan for winning the Lottery.

"I always play Mega Millions when the jackpot gets over $100,000, 000," said Julia, now in her 27th year of employment as a machine operator at International Paper.

Julia's plan finally paid off last month when the mother of three purchased one set of Quick Pick numbers for the November 15 Mega Millions drawing offering a jackpot of $149,000,000.

Julia said she stopped at the Wegmans at 2200 Ridge Road East in Rochester after work. "I turned in a Take Five winner and bought a $1 Quick Pick for the next day's Mega drawing. I always go with the Quick Picks," she said.

The frugal Lottery player said she checked her numbers over the weekend and realized she had the first five numbers. "I knew it was a million dollar winner," she said. What the new Lottery millionaire didn't know were the odds of winning that $1,000,000 second prize. When told about the 1 in almost 18.5 million chance of matching the first five numbers drawn Julia said, "Wow! Those are definitely high odds. I feel good about myself; that I was able to do this for my family."

The winning numbers for the November 15, 2013 Mega Millions drawing were 25 – 44 – 49 – 54 – 63 and Mega Ball (08).

Julia claimed her winning ticket on November 18 at the Lottery's Customer Service Center in Buffalo. She will receive her prize in one lump sum payment totaling $661,800 after required withholdings.

Like her plan for winning the Lottery, Julia's plan for spending her Lottery prize is pretty straight forward. "I plan to take care of family and then take care of myself. Family comes first." 

Julia is the 129th New Yorker to win a Lottery jackpot prize of $1,000,000 so far this year. She is the first Lottery player from Monroe County to win the new $1,000,000 second prize in the recently re-formatted Mega Millions game. Other changes to the multi-state mega jackpot game include a bigger starting jackpot (to $15 million from $12 million) and better overall odds (to 1 in 14.71 from 1 in 39.89).