An oyster farmer just netted the biggest catch of his life: $10 million. William Young Jr.'s catch this time, however, was not from the sea but from a winning lottery ticket. A simple trip to the gas station ended with Young buying a lottery ticket for the Massachusetts State Lottery's $10,000,000 Mega Fortune jackpot.
"I scratched it at the counter, and I couldn't believe my eyes," Young said. "I asked, 'Is this a 37? Yeah. And is this 37? Yeah.' I never dreamed I would hit $10 million."
Young did not decide on how he would take the money until Friday. He decided that his best option is take the $6.5 million lump sum before taxes, the Massachusetts State Lottery said.
What does the new millionaire plan to do with his new fortune? According to him, he would like to invest the money and put aside some for his four kids. Apparently, a new boat or sports car is out of the question for Young.
"I'm still going to do what I do," said Young, who was hauling in the day's 2,500 shellfish as he spoke to the Boston Herald. He added, "I don't really want another boat."
Young is a lucky one when it comes to the lottery. He had already won smaller amounts in the past. He said that he had already won $10,000 twice from scratch tickets. Does he plan on buying any more? That seems unlikely. He shared, "I'm saving a ton of money not buying tickets. I finally hit the big one so now I don't have to scratch."
Young is also an accomplished oyster shucker. He won the 2008 national oyster shucking championships at the Galway International Oyster Festival.
As for the owner of the store where the winning ticket was bought, owner Harry Patel says that people are coming in droves because they think the store is lucky. "They think it's a lucky store now." Patel also receives a $50,000 bonus from Young's win, the lottery said.
