Lotto winner's hunch yields $1M prize

Brian J. Long said he “got kind of shaky” when it dawned on him last Thursday that he had just scratched his way to $1 million.

“It feels great,” the Parishville man said after picking up a ceremonial check from the state Lottery Tuesday in Watertown. “I figured it would hopefully someday at least pay off what I put into it. And this will definitely do that.”

Mr. Long said he's played lottery games for the past decade, keeping close tabs on the number of Cashword scratch-offs sold at the Kunoco Food Mart.

“That's my favorite ticket,” he said. “I've played the $2 one since it came out.”

On Thursday, Mr. Long had a hunch that the game would soon yield a big prize. He was right.

The Parishville resident's lump sum prize was $660,300. He said most will go toward paying bills. Some will be socked away for retirement.

“But other than that, I don't think things will change much,” he said.

Mr. Long's wife, Karen M., has some plans of her own for the money. She said the couple will purchase an outdoor hot tub for their new deck.

“He and his friends called me on the way home and said: ‘You'd better get an XM radio order in for his truck,'” she said. “I said, ‘I'll just order him a whole new truck.'”

Mr. Long purchased three to four $10 Cashword tickets per week before he won. The mason, who works for Eastpart Construction, Winthrop, said he has no plans to change his routine.

Does Mr. Long think lightning will strike twice?

“Well, you never know,” he said.