"Didn't think it was real:" 19-year-old wins $1 million after playing his favorite scratch-off game

BALLSTON SPA, New York -- What would you do with $1 million? A New York man is asking himself that question. He became a millionaire after purchasing a scratch-off ticket.

"I thought it was a dream. I didn't think it was real," Anthony Lavarone said.

19-year-old Lavarone is the luckiest man in town! He came to the Stewart's Shop in Ballston Spa, New York, and while he filled his tires with air, he sent a friend inside to pick up his favorite scratch-off ticket. It wasn't until he went home that night to play the crossword that he realized he'd won big money.

"At first I thought I got the 10. Then I thought maybe I only got the nine and I made a mistake, but then my father went over to the Stewart's and checked it for me and it said 'big winner,'" Lavarone said.

Lavarone is a landscaper, and said he plans to invest most of his cash in his startup company.

But like many young men, Lavarone said he wants a hot, new ride!

"I'll probably just go and buy a new truck. That'll be my fun thing," Lavarone said.

What would you do if you won $1 million?!

"Forget the house and college. Let's go to Disney!" Ginny Miller said.

"I can't fathom $1 million, you know? I hope he spends it wisely," Alfred Aubin said.

Lavarone's win inspired other customers to play the game, but no manager said he has ever seen a win like this.

 

"I've been in many stores, and this is the biggest jackpot I've ever seen go out of one of my stores," Darrell Rockwell, store manager said.

Rockwell said after the win, a lot of people have stopped by to get a scratch-off of their own.