The Capital District may be feeling the effects of a cold front this week, but Jacklyn Lyte, of Latham, isn’t feeling the chill at all this winter.
Lyte, 58, is the sole winner of the $18 million Lotto jackpot from the Dec. 5 drawing.
This is a very warm winter for me, said Lyte at a check presentation ceremony held Friday, Jan.4, in the New York Lottery drawing studio in Schenectady where the Lottery’s Yolanda Vega drew her winning numbers.
The payout is the largest lottery prize ever awarded in the Tri-City Area.
Lyte chose the lump sum payment option, which means she received one big check for $9,914,158.
She said she was home alone when she found out she’d become New York’s newest millionaire.
`I called my sister and she told me to make a cup of tea and to sit down,` said Lyte, who noted that she signed her ticket right away to make the win official.
She waited to claim her ticket until Dec. 14.
`I waited to claim until I was ready,` Lyte said. `Receiving the actual check after the start of the first of the year made better financial sense for me. But, it is nice to finally have a check in my hand.`
Lyte said that she plans to `live comfortably` with her family in light of her newfound fortune. The mother of three grown children and grandmother of six said she would like to buy a new home in the Latham area, a new car and take care of her daughter’s student loans.
`I’m going to try and make wise decisions about how I spend my money,` she said.
Lyte purchased the winning ticket at the Night Owl convenience store in Troy during her lunch break. But, Lyte won’t have to worry about taking a lunch break anymore ` she recently retired from her job as a claims examiner for the New York State Department of Labor.
A regular Lotto player, Lyte has won a series of smaller prizes over the years and said she will continue to play the Lotto.
`Two dollars for two games twice a week. That’s my limit,` she said. `And, I always play Quick Pick.`
Lyte is originally from Guyana. Her family came to America in the early ’70s.
In many ways, Lyte said she feels she’s living out the American Dream.
`I can’t say I’ve had rough times in my life, but this is a betterment for sure,` she said.
Now in its 40th anniversary year, the New York Lottery announced 156 new millionaires in 2007. According to Director Gordon Medenica,19 people in the Capital District won or shared a prize of more than $1 million in the past year.
PHOTO CAPTION: Jacklyn Lyte, center, cuts the cake with the New York Lottery’s Director Gordon Medenica and Spokesperson Yolanda Vega to celebrate her $18 million Lotto win.
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