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After playing the New York Lottery together for a quarter of a century, a group of six co-workers at Yonkers' Micromold Engineered Plastics have finally been rewarded for their persistence.
The “Micomold Six” were presented with an oversize check worth $1 million Tuesday at Empire City Casino after their Quick Pick ticket hit the lucky lotto numbers during a March 23 Powerball drawing.
As for their plans with their new-found windfall, the winners said the money will likely be used for bills -- and maybe a little fun.
“I’ll take the grandkids on a Disney Cruise,” said winner Rafael Castillo. “They’ll love me forever.”
Castillo, 57, of Yonkers, purchased the group’s winning ticket at Odell Wine & Liquor on Odell Avenue during his lunch break the day before the drawing. It was part of a longstanding tradition among the coworkers, who each put in $5 per drawing and purchase tickets for the upcoming jackpot.
After discovering they had a winning ticket, Castillo said the group’s boss at Micromold was concerned.
“He thought we were all going to leave at once,” he said. “But we are all going to continue to work. The bills don’t stop coming just because you win the lottery.”
The winning group includes Rafael Castillo, 57, Julion Sandoval, 41, Angelito Cruz, 66, and Zah Tsung Da, 74, all of Yonkers. Also in the mix is Mamaorneck’s Humberto Campeche, 43, and New Rochelle’s Hermilo Garcia, 39.
The $1 million prize was divided six ways among the group. After withholdings, it amounted to $108,000 to $110,000 for each.
The “Micromold Six” weren’t the only lucky winners revealed Tuesday. Stamford, Conn., resident Christine Hinspeter, 44, was also announced as $1 million jackpot winner.
Hinspeter said she was visiting a friend in New Rochelle when she decided to purchase a scratch-off ticket at Marina Deli on Pelham Road.
She initially won $25 on a scratch-off and used the winnings to buy the 20X The Bucks scratch-off ticket that was the million-dollar winner.
"I flipped it over, realized the jackpot prize was $1 million and ran out of the store like my clothes were on fire,” Hinspeter said.
She will receive 20 annual checks in the amount of $33,090 after withholdings but said she has no plans for the money as of yet.
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