A file photo shows a person buying a lottery ticket at a convenience store in New York City on July 19, 2023.
ANGELA WEISS/Getty Images
A New York man won $10 million with a winning scratch card.This is his second time winning a $10 million pot in just over 15 months.A neighbor said he lives in the same apartment and gave no indications of being suddenly rich.
A New Yorker won a $10 million lottery prize for the second time in a little over a year, an extremely unlikely feat.
But his neighbors told the Lottery Post that Wayne Murray has continued to maintain a low profile despite winning so much.
According to the New York Lottery, which is operated by the state, Murray’s total winnings are more than $20 million after he won his latest jackpot in the 200X scratch-off game this month.
He claimed his first $10 million prize on the New York Lottery’s Black Titanium scratch-off game in August 2022, some 15 months ago, the lottery said.
He bought both tickets at H&A Gas & Convenience on Avenue H in Brooklyn and has claimed both as lump-sum payments.
His most recent prize came to $6,122,400 after tax, the lottery said.
Hassan Nabil, who works at the convenience store where Murray bought both the winning tickets, expressed his incredulity to the Lottery Post.
He said: “Twice in a row — what are the odds? You can’t even think about it. It’s not comprehensible.”
According to the New York Lottery, the odds of winning the jackpot in the 200X scratch-off game are about 1 in 3.5 million, with the odds of winning the Black Titanium being about 1 in 3.6 million.
The odds of winning both jackpots in succession are around 1 in 12 trillion — though the likelihood would have been higher the more tickets Murray bought and the more often he played.
Though the windfall would be enough to change most people, Nabil said Murray has not been flashy with his cash.
He told the Lottery Post: “He could have moved out of the neighborhood after winning the first time, but he stood his ground. Money changes a lot of people, but he doesn’t show off or anything. He keeps it real, keeps it honest.”
His next-door neighbor, who was not named, agreed. She told the Lottery Post that she had no idea he’d won once, let alone twice.
Murray still lives in a three-story apartment in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, where he has been living for decades, she said.
The neighbor told the outlet: “I had no idea. He’s very humble that way. I’m going to have to congratulate him the next time I see him.”
She added: “That’s his house and will always be his house even if he won the lottery a third time. He took care of his mother and his great-aunt in that house until they both passed away. He’s all about family and his home and his neighborhood.”
Murray did not immediately respond to BI’s request for comment, but in response to the Lottery Post, he said: “Some of us just like to be discreet. I just want to be discreet, that’s all it is.”