Twenty winners split fifty thousand dollar Lotto jackpot

The Tropical Gaming Offices on Queen Street experienced a new record today…not for the size of the prize money of the Lotto, but the sequence of numbers and the number of winners. Before Saturday’s draw, the lotto prize had never been shared between more than two persons… so imagine the surprise when that amount was multiplied by ten. News Five’s Delahnie Bain was there for the historic handing over.

Delahnie Bain, Reporting
1, 2, 3, 4, 5… I’m not counting the winners; believe it or not, those were the winning numbers in Saturday night’s lotto draw. And as unlikely as it may seem, twenty persons bought those very numbers, making lotto history. So while the big check says fifty thousand dollars, unfortunately for the winners, their slice of the pie is only two thousand one hundred and twenty-five dollars each after taxes.

Sheila Coleman, Lotto Winner
“It’s very unfortunate; very unfortunate.”

Delahnie Bain
“Even the numbers, 1,2,3,4,5, how did you come up with those?”

Sheila Coleman
“Well, dah crazy buy; it was just a crazy buy.”

Delahnie Bain
“What do you plan to do with your winnings?”

Sheila Coleman
“Well, pay small bills, that’s all.”

Delahnie Bain
“How long have you been playing lotto?”

Sheila Coleman
“From the time they started.”

While the numbers were a first for Sheila Coleman, another winner, Virginia Vaughn, says she’s been buying them for a while and agrees that it is a little crazy.

Virginia Vaughn, Lotto Winner
“I di buy it good while now and when I start to buy it people laugh and seh you want that number? I tell dehn yes.”

Delahnie Bain
“So did you ever expect that so many other people would be buying the same thing?”

Virginia Vaughn
“Yes, because dehn seh dah number look crazy. I seh but dah crazy numbers play.”

Delahnie Bain
“How did you find out that you won?”

Virginia Vaughn
“I live dah Carmelita Village and di people weh I usually buy it from come dah my house and tell me dat I win di lotto. I tell dehn no. ih seh Ms. Genie you buy your numbers tonight. Ih seh well yoh win.”

Delahnie Bain
“How do you feel that there are twenty winners so the winnings aren’t that much?”

Virginia Vaughn
“Well, yoh just have to deal wid it. You just have to take it as it is; everybody have to get a bite ah di cherry.”

But the man with the most to smile about today was Lorenzo Garcia, the sole winner of last Wednesday’s seventy-seven thousand dollar draw with the numbers 9, 10, 12, 20 and 21. He told us the trick to his lucky numbers.

Lorenzo Garcia, Lotto Winner
“I get two quick pick and out ah di two I pick di five numbers and mek one.”

Delahnie Bain
“How long have you been buying lotto?”

Lorenzo Garcia
“A year and a half.”

Delahnie Bain
“How do you feel that you’re a winner already?”

Lorenzo Garcia
“Well, I feel good because this dah di first time I buy and get di whole jackpot because I get some three numbers and four. Well, right now I plan to get a small vehicle but ih wah have to be wah double one and four wheel drive because I have wah farm and I have lot ah problem because too much mud.”

Delahnie Bain
“And you plan to continue buying lotto?”

Lorenzo Garcia
“Yes, I plan to continue buy lotto, I no wah stop.”

After taxes, Garcia takes home sixty-five thousand eight hundred and seventy-five dollars. Delahnie Bain for News Five.

The winner of the September sixteenth lotto draw has yet to claim its reward. That’s a fifty seven thousand five hundred dollar prize awaiting the holder of the ticket bearing the numbers 3, 11, 18, 22, 29.