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David Kowalski (left) of the town of Clay won $10 million on a scratch-off game from the New York Lottery. John Schnurr, (right) of the lottery, presented Kowalski with an over-sized prize check.

(Sarah Moses | smoses@syraucse.com)

LIVERPOOL, N.Y. -- David Kowalski, of the town of Clay, stopped at the Stewart's Shop on Morgan Road in Liverpool to cash in a Lottery scratch-off winner worth $50 on his way home from Easter dinner.

Kowalski used the winnings to buy a $10,000,000 Cash ticket, which costs $30. Kowalski, a regular Lottery player, said he figured if he lost he was still up $20. He scratched the ticket in the gas station's parking lot.

"I scratched 50X and I knew right away in my head that it was going to be something decent," Kowalski said. "When I scratched off the $200,000 below it I was in disbelief. I looked at it several times and tried to do the math in my head and realized that this was it. This was the big one."

Kowalski, a residential remodeler, said he was trying to gain composure because he was shaking and even started to cry. He called his family.

Kowalski will receive his prize as a one-time lump-sum payment netting him $6,618,000 after required withholdings. He said he doesn't have any immediate plans for the money.

"We've been talking about it and trying to get priorities in order," he said. "It's going to help the family, it's going to help us and it's going to provide a lot of financial security for the family."

The odds of winning the top prize on the $10,000,000 Cash ticket before any prizes were claimed was 1 in 3,312,480.

According to the latest games report from the NY State Lotto, the game still has two unclaimed grand prize tickets. There are also six unclaimed second prize tickets worth $200,000 each.

The $10,000,000 Cash ticket offers the largest instant cash prize. The game was released to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of the NY Lottery.

A Hudson Valley couple also won on the $10,000,000 Cash ticket in March. The win made history as the largest scratch-off ticket win in New York State Lottery history. The ticket was also purchased at a Stewart's Shop in Poughkeepsie.