POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. — James and Sylvia Silverence are the winners of the New York Lottery's largest-ever scratch-off prize.
The lottery's Yolanda Vega presented a ceremonial check to the Poughkeepsie couple at a Stewart's Shop on Thursday.
"I fell on the floor, I was laughing," James Silverence said of the moment he and his wife realized they had won. "I couldn't get off the floor. I was in shock."
Their sons came running downstairs, thinking their dad was injured.
The parents of four boys said they do not plan to make major changes in their lives but will use the money to pay college expenses for their sons and buy a new truck for James and a few diamonds for Sylvia.
The Silvernences are splitting the jackpot, with each receiving $3,309,000 after required holdings.
James bought the winning ticket in the "$10,000,000 Cash" scratch-off game at the Stewart's Shop on Vassar Road in Poughkeepsie, where he gone to collect $125 winning from a different game.
"The lady ahead of me had purchased four of the $10 million cash tickets and didn't win," he said. "There were six tickets left, so I put in some extra money and got them all."
The tickets cost $30 apiece.
Silverence took the tickets home to his wife and had her scratch them off.
Realizing they might have just won $10 million, she covered up the word "jackpot" on the winning ticket and then showed it to her husband.
"When Sylvia showed me the matching numbers and moved her finger to reveal the word 'jackpot,' we both just started screaming," he said.
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Congrats, enjoy
A pure case of being in the right place at the right time!
How to Become Lucky & Always Be in the Right Place at the Right Time:
Congratulations to James and Sylvia Silverence of Poughkeepsie,NY.
Congratulations! Nothing better than a feel good story early in the morning.
Wonder how long it takes New York to get the moola to the winners?
The Silvernences are splitting the jackpot, with each receiving $3,309,000 after required holdings.
They are a married couple. Anyone else see this as odd that they would divide their winnings?
Congrats!!!
Congrats to Mr. and Mrs. Silverence!
I dunno about you all, but Yolanda Vega and her nice body make me want to win the big one in the state of NY. A JP and a hug from her would be a double win for me!
Glad he could afford to do so !
I don't play scratch offs as I don't have enough discretionary income that I can plunk down $180 in a scratch off purchase.
Yep, she got him trained alright. If he goes out and blows his wad, on midlife crisis, she will just lay back and laugh. He ain't getting any of her money.
"I dunno about you all, but Yolanda Vega and her nice body make me want to win the big one in the state of NY. A JP and a hug from her would be a double win for me!"
If you win a $10M jackpot in any state you'll find plenty of women with nice bodies willing to give you a hug, men too if you prefer.