Warwick man becomes first 'Minute To Win It' instant lottery millionaire

MIDDLETOWN - The New York Lottery’s “Minute To Win It” challenge tour served as the backdrop Sunday for the game’s first $1,000,000 prize check presentation. Jackpot winner Guy Pennisi of Warwick received his ceremonial check from Lottery Draw team member Jina Myers at Middletown’s Galleria Mall at Crystal Run. The 28-year-old longshoreman at Pier 90 in Manhattan added a “Minute To Win It” ticket to his “two eggs over easy, bacon, and home fries” order at Joe’s Restaurant on Court Street in Brooklyn on Feb. 27. Pennisi said “the whole restaurant went crazy” when he scratched his ticket and realized his good fortune. The odds of winning a top prize on the $5 Minute To Win It ticket are 1 in 2,646,000. The International Longshoreman’s Association employee is the first statewide “Minute To Win It” jackpot winner since the game’s launch on Feb. 1. This was the Orange County man’s second brush with Lottery luck; Pennisi won $50,000 playing Quick Draw in February 2009. “Am I lucky?” he asked. “That’s what they tell me.” Pennisi plans to use his million to buy a house. A trip to Vegas may also be in the cards. “My dad has other plans for me,” he joked. “He says I need to find a wife.”