PHILIPSBURG--Buying a new house, a car and taking care of her children who are studying abroad are amongst the things Super Lotto Jackpot winner Maria Almonte wants to do with her US $2.17 million winnings.
The Caribbean Lottery introduced Almonte to the media at a press conference at Divi Little Bay Beach Hotel on Friday. Almonte, a sole trader, said she won’t stop doing what she has been doing before becoming a millionaire. When she was first told that she was the winner, she did not believe it. She only started to believe after being told about three times.
The Cole Bay resident purchased her ticket from Tackling Shell, selecting her own winning numbers for draw #656 on Friday, January 22. Her winning numbers, 04-11-19-21-28 SB 04, were not selected by chance, but hold great sentimental value. “I play the same numbers all the time and each number represents birthdays of persons close to me. My mom is represented by 04, my fiancé by 11, my two children by 19 and 21, and my birthday is 28,” she said.
This win is a special one for Almonte, who has mixed feelings about her windfall. “I am excited, happy and at the same time sad. I am sad because my dad was an avid Lotto player and he never won and now that I have won this huge jackpot, he is not here to share this special moment with me,” she said.
She spoke of her experience playing Caribbean Lottery games and is over the moon about her windfall and has big plans for the jackpot prize. Her first priority is to purchase a home, which she has wanted to do for a long time, in addition to a second hand vehicle.
“I want to go to University to learn English and I also want to help my children and family. I would like to start a business here and in Santo Domingo. My two sons are currently away and this will help me finance their education. Mama and Papa had 12 children so there is a lot of good that I can bring to my family with these monies,” she said.
She further went on to say that the win could not have been possible without the Caribbean Lottery. “I play Caribbean Lottery because I live here in St. Maarten and this is the lottery of the Caribbean. The Lottery is fun to play and it could change your life but you can’t win if you don’t play.”
When asked by reporters, the Dominican Republic native said she has had friends coming out of the woodworks since winning. She said persons who had never called her before have now been calling her. It could not be ascertained what percentage of her winnings will go toward taxes.
Prime Minister William Marlin, who had been on hand to present Almonte with an oversized version of her wining cheque offered some advice to the lotto millionaire. He urged Almonte to get a calculator as persons can get carried away when the pressure of expenditures face them. He urged her to keep her head on and to maintain a level head to make sure that she can make use of her winnings years from now. He also urged her to make a sound investment and to continue to live a sober life.
The Caribbean Lottery has paid out prizes to over 193,334 players in the Eastern Antilles totalling US $5,725,174 in 2015.
The Caribbean Lottery is operated by IGT, the world’s largest end-to-end gaming and service provider. “Players can be assured that their tickets are processed by systems with several layers of security and that the rigid verification processes are carried out with the highest level of integrity, fully compliant with all controls put in place by governments and regulators,” Caribbean Lottery said in a press release issued after the press conference.
“The Company operates with the highest levels of integrity, transparency, responsibility and service and adheres to the highest degrees of regulation in the world-wide lottery industry, where it operates in over 100 countries globally. When you play games with Caribbean Lottery and its affiliates you are guaranteed a fair chance at a winning experience.”
