Community Corner

Port Chester Man Describes 'Disbelief' at Holding $1M Ticket

Martin Ocampo, 45, says he wants to take his time figuring out how he'll spend his winnings.

In early August, Martin Ocampo stopped at BJ Cards & Gifts on a whim to pick up a scratch-off before grabbing an ice cream cone during the summer heat.

Ocampo never ended up getting the ice cream cone.

The Port Chester man revealed three queens on the $5 New York Poker ticket he bought at the Putnam Avenue store. It took a few minutes for him to realize he wasn't mistaken, and now Ocampo calls the three queens his "lucky ladies."

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Ocampo, 45, was holding a $1 million winning ticket.

"It took a while for it to sink in," he said. "I just kept staring at the ticket in disbelief."

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The Port Chester winner chose payouts instead of a lump sum, meaning he'll get $50,000 payments annually for the next 20 years. After taxes, that works out to about $33,000 a year, according to the New York State Lottery.

Ocampo is the fourth million-dollar winner in Westchester in 2011, and the second Port Chester resident to win big. Juan Carlos Gonzalez of Port Chester won earlier this year, winning $1 million on a Mega Millions ticket.

State lottery revenue accounts for about 15 percent of all state aid to schools in New York State. In the 2010-2011 fiscal year, the lottery contributed more than $3 billion to state school districts.

At a press conference Thursday, Ocampo stood in the Putnam Avenue store where he'd purchased the winning ticket, holding the over-size $1 million check presented to him by lottery officials.

Jubilant and wearing a big smile as he talked about his windfall, he told lottery representatives he has no plans to splurge.

"This win couldn't have come at a better time," he said. "I don't want to splurge. I want to keep my feet on the ground and take my time deciding how I will spend it."

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