A retired Laurelton man received an early Christmas present last week when he picked out the lucky instant Lotto game ticket and won a million dollars.
Hurdis Smith, 65, was ecstatic Friday morning when he was introduced with two other lottery winners at the Atlantic Terminal Mall in Brooklyn. Ever since he scratched the winning New York Lottery Black game ticket two months ago, the married father of four said he has been living a more relaxed life.
“There’s no stress now,” Smith said. “It takes the pressure off my wife and makes life a lot easier for all of us.”
Smith, who used to work as a Mercedes-Benz dealer, won his prize when he followed his gut on a trip to his favorite lottery store in Valley Stream, L.I., on Oct. 30. After initially buying three New York Lottery Black tickets from Dhavani Stationery, Smith went back to his car, but for some reason he returned to the store to buy another ticket.
When he scratched off the fourth game at home, Smith found out he had won the million-dollar jackpot.
“I called my wife and asked her to come home from work,” he recalled.
Smith immediately signed the game card, put it in an envelope, and stapled the envelope to his coat pocket until he claimed the winnings at the New York Lottery’s customer service center in Garden City, L.I.
Smith, who has four children aged 13 to 44, will receive his winnings in 20 installments of roughly $50,000, according to the state lottery.
The Laurelton father was not the only winner at the news conference Friday.
Vincenzo “Vinny” Sicurella, 56, of the Bronx was awarded $6 million for picking a winning Lotto ticket last week and Kasem Kurmemaj, 33, of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, took home $1 million after he scratched the winning Win $1,000 a Week for Life game.
Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 146.