Macedon $9.8M Lotto winner receives check from Yolanda Vega at Hegedorns

For 40 years, it's been part of his daily routine.

Richard Giles would head to Hegedorns Market in Webster and buy a lottery ticket — or several. Never did he imagine he'd become a millionaire playing the game.

But last fall, everything changed. Giles, 76, of Macedon won a $9.8 million jackpot in the Oct. 11 Lotto drawing after purchasing a quick pick ticket at Hegedorns.

“I checked my numbers after the drawing and realized that I matched all six numbers,” Giles said. “I wasn’t sure at first so I checked them again the next day and sure enough they matched.”

He quickly signed the ticket, locked it in his safe and called his financial adviser, he said.

Giles, who is retired from Xerox, will receive his prize in a lump sum totaling $4,419,643. He received his oversized check Thursday from New York Lottery spokeswoman Yolanda Vega at a ceremony at the Webster supermarket, 964 Ridge Road.

"I never thought I'd win," Giles said. "There's so many people playing and a lot of numbers to pick from."

In addition to investing his winnings, Giles said he plans to buy a new set of golf clubs and some new bowling balls. He also plans to pay off his bills, to take a vacation "somewhere warm" with his wife and to do something nice for his siblings and his church.

"I'm not going to change," he said. "I'm the same person."

Before winning the $9.8 million jackpot, Giles said his largest lottery win yielded a $10,000 prize.

Hegedorns manager Scott Herrmann said he was pleased to see someone local win the big jackpot. Noreen Roesser, Hegedorns' operations manager, said she was in disbelief when she heard the news and she double checked the numbers.

Roesser said she was thrilled to know the big winner was a loyal Hegedorns customer.

"I've seen him in here almost every day," Herrmann said. "He comes in every morning and gets his lottery tickets. He's a regular. He even came this morning. He's like clockwork."

Giles said he'll be back Friday morning for more lottery tickets.

Hey, you never know.

VFREILE@Gannett.com