A New York couple was announced Monday as the winners of a $326 million Mega Million jackpot, the largest in New York Lottery history. Harold Diamond and his wife Carol accepted a $130,676,438 check (the amount they received after taxes and a lump-sum payment) at the same Valero gas station in Middletown, New York, where they originally purchased the ticket. While the couple ate lunch at a Subway shop inside the service station, Diamond says he saw the lottery signs and bought 10 sets of Quick Pick numbers for $10.
Diamond also stated that he did not realize that he was a winner until he was out golfing the next day with friends. He mentioned that he went into a trance-like state after seeing that the six winning numbers matched the second set of numbers on his ticket. Diamond said he couldn’t envision that kind of money, and that he and his wife feel very blessed. He told lottery officials that they plan to use the money to help family and give back to the community.
