A Long Island woman took a big gulp after winning a staggering $22 million Mega Millions Lottery jackpot that she had bought at a 7-Eleven.
Janet Alnwick, 52, who lives in Merrick, was the only player across 12 states to match all six numbers needed to win the Jan. 13 jackpot, after buying a ticket at the convenient store following a craving for a Big Gulp drink.
“I play maybe once a month, $2 or $3 at most,” the retired saleswoman, who bought the ticket at a North Bellmore 7-Eleven, said this afternoon.
“I am probably an unlikely winner, but a thankful one nonetheless.”
Alnwick said she looks forward to being able to buy “a few more nice things for herself” – including a vacation to Aruba and a new Corvette.
“Gray and fully loaded,” she said of the car.
Alnwick opted for the lump sum option – meaning she will receive a one-time payment of $15.2 million, before taxes.
She will take home $10.3 million after taxes.
State lottery officials also said seven other winners had taken home prices in recent weeks.
Among them is a retired Long Island firefighter who won $1 million on an Extravaganza scratch-off game.
Vincent Droscoski, 70, a 20-year veteran of the Brookhaven Fire Department, bought the instant ticket last month at a local newsstand in Port Jefferson.
Droscoski said he’s “looking forward to life on easy street.”