A construction worker who won $1m on a lottery scratchcard in 2012 has beaten the odds by hitting a $1m jackpot again.

Bruce Magistro put down $20 this week at a petrol station in West Babylon, New York, for a set of 10 scratchcards.

After his first win four years ago, the 48-year-old used much of his prize money to pay for his wife Yvonne's medical bills.

Yvonne died from lung cancer in 2014 after a three-year battle against the disease.

Mr Magistro said he plans to share his winnings with his three children and his fiancee.

He said: "This is impossible. I just couldn't believe I hit it two times."

Son Nick Mayers said the second win was his mother's way of sending help back to the family.

He said: "She passed away two years ago today. This is definitely a gift, from her to him."

Mr Magistro won $1m on a different lottery scratchcard game at the same petrol station in 2012.

His latest jackpot will see him paid $1,000 a week - with a minimum of $1m - for the rest of his life.

Yolanda Vega, a lottery representative who presented the cheque for his first win, said: "He was so positive and outgoing that I knew he'd win again.

"There was something about Bruce that I felt. There was this energy coming from his core."

State gaming officials said Mr Magistro beat odds of 1 in 7,745,600 to win this week, after already overcoming odds of 1 in 2,520,000 to win the Extreme Cash game in 2012.

It isn't the first time that someone has won twice on scratchcards.

A North Carolina woman won $1m in February, than a $250,000 prize last month. In 2012, a man in suburban Chicago won $1m from a scratchcard game having won the same amount nine years earlier.