Astoria Limo Driver Wins $1M In Extravaganza Lottery

(L. to r.): New York Lottery Draw Team Member Gretchen Dizer, Marcos Penteado and his wife Laura Penteado. Marcos Penteado won $1,000,000 on the $500,000,000 Extravaganza Instant Ticket.

Astoria limousine driver Marcos Penteado said "disbelief" is the only way to describe his reaction when he saw the $1,000,000 symbol printed on his $500,000,000 Extravaganza scratch off ticket.

"You just don't believe what you're seeing," he remembered. "It takes a few seconds to sink in and then you can't stop looking. I got so nervous I had to call work to tell them I wouldn't be in."

The 57-year-old driver said he's been a loyal Lottery player since arriving in New York from his native Brazil more than 14 years ago.

"I buy two tickets every Wednesday (payday) like clockwork," he said. "And always this one."

Penteado said after returning from a muchneeded vacation with his wife, Laura, a housekeeper, he plans to use the couple's new found wealth to open his own business to "put them in an even better financial position".

Penteado will receive his $1,000,000 prize in 20 annual payments of $50,000, less required tax withholdings. His annual net check will total $32,251.

Penteado purchased his $500,000,000 Extravaganza ticket on July 9 at the AAR Grocery on 30th Ave. in Astoria. He claimed it the same day at the Manhattan Lottery Customer Service Center.

The New York Lottery contributed nearly $2.6 billion to help support education in New York state on revenues of $7.549 billion in Fiscal Year 2007-08—a profit margin of 34.3 percent. Last year, the Lottery's earnings accounted for more than 13 percent of total state education funding. The New York Lottery continues to be North America's largest and most profitable lottery, earning more than $34.2 billion in education support statewide since its founding more than 40 years ago.