Utica Stay-At-Home Mom Wins $1 Million From Scratch Off Ticket

Utica, NY (WIBX) - Being green has helped one Utica mother of two see a lot more green, one million dollars to be exact.
On May 4th, Diane Przybyla went to the Price Chopper on Genesee Street to return cans and bottles. She says the seven dollars she received were spent on two one dollar tickets and a Million Dollar Scratch ticket.

"My whole intent was buying Mother's Day," Przybyla said. "That was my whole intent because they're really pretty this year. They were purple and had a little crown; they were pretty. That was my whole intent. Next to the Mother's Day was this one, and I'm like, 'Oh, that's new. I've never seen it before,' so I hit it. Thank goodness I did!"

Unable to wait to scratch off her tickets, she headed to the vegetable aisle, where she scratched the two one dollar tickets first. She won nothing. But, on the last ticket, in the bottom right hand corner, she spotted a matching number.

Przybyla said she couldn't believe her eyes and needed her brother's verification, driving twenty minutes to his home. Accompanied by her husband, Jay, and other family members, she redeemed her million dollar prize at the Lottery's Customer Service Center in Schenectady on May 9th.

During the supermarket presentation, New York Lottery's Jina Myers said Przybyla will receive $33,090 each year until 2031.

But, the big question remains. What will she do with the money?

"I want a Subaru," Przybyla said. "I've always wanted one, but I could never really afford one. So, now I can."

She says other plans include a vacation with her children and a new computer. But, she plans to hold onto most of the money for the future.

"We're going to be reasonable with it," Przybyla said. "I'm not going to get crazy. We're just going to go about our life. Nothing's really going to change, it's just... there's going to be a little nest egg sitting for us now. A little comfort zone."

This is the second time an Oneida County Lottery player has won $1 million or more this year. In January, Hung Tran of Utica claimed his prize during a ceremony at Vernon Downs.