$1,000,000

Million Dollar Raffle Game Winning Ticket Claimed

January 2, 2009 - The $1,000,000 top prize winner for the Rhode Island Lottery’s Million Dollar Raffle Game was claimed this morning by Cherie Faria and her family (photo attached). The winning number was 1 0 4 6 0 9 sold from Stop & Shop at 200 Atwood Ave., Cranston.

Cherie said she bought her ticket on New Year’s Eve after cashing in her check and doing her grocery shopping. On New Year’s day, they hadn’t looked up the winning number yet, so she and her husband joked throughout the day that they might be a million dollars richer. Cherie’s husband, Michael, checked their ticket later that night when they were having dinner at Wright’s Chicken Farm and Cherie said she spent a half hour in the parking lot crying and laughing after her husband told her. The couple came in to the Lottery with two of their sons, while the oldest one was still asleep at home. Their oldest son, Michael Jr., goes to Rhode Island College, and her middle son, Justin, goes to the Community College of Rhode Island. Their youngest son, Ryan, is still in high school, but Cherie said now he can go to college anywhere he’d like.

After winning the million dollars, Cherie said she’s already called the daycare, where she was employed part time, to tell them she would not be working anymore. Her husband, Michael, will continue to work at Gem Plumbing. The family also plans to visit Cherie’s parents in Florida, now that they can afford the trip.

In addition to the million dollar top prize, there were multiple prizes of $10,000 and $1,000.

$10,416

Name: Ronald Marrocco Jr., Cranston, RI
Game: Daily Numbers
Retailer: Park Avenue Gas Station, Cranston
Claimed: 4/27/09

$22,500
Name: Vincent DiPippo, Jr., Cranston, RI
Game: Keno
Retailer: Donut Bazar, Cranston
Claimed: 10/23/08

$12,000
Name: Amanda Freitas (Warwick, RI)
Game: Word Search, Instant Game
Retailer: Cheapskates, Warwick
Claimed: 10/20/08

$5,000 each

Name: Wendy Machado & Nicole Cutting, North Providence, RI
Game: Daily Numbers
Retailer: Shaw's Market, North Providence
Claimed: 10/3/08

$5,416

$5,416 Daily Numbers Winner
Nancy Finn and her fiancé, Joe Perron, claimed a $5,416 winning Daily Numbers ticket for the December 1st drawing. The couple had purchased the ticket from Champs Discount Liquors on South Main Street in Pascoag.

$10,000

Michael Feldman won $10,000 playing PowerBall®.

$100,000

Joshua Rathbun of Warwick won the $100,000 Top Prize Drawing for the Scratch Mania Instant ticket game.

$20,000

John Freitas Jr. of East Providence won $20,000 on "Run the Table", a $5 instant game. He purchased the ticket from Super Mart at 747 South Main Street in Warren. John plans on using a portion of the winnings to restore his house, and put the rest in the bank.

$15,000

Antonio Aniserowicz of Woonsocket claimed a $15,000 prize playing the "Crossword 19" instant game. He purchased the $2 ticket from Li'l General on Winter Street in Woonsocket. At the time, Antonio had no plans for the prize money.

$12,000

Alfred Carpentier of Johnston won $12,000 on "Fat Cat Fantasies", a $3 instant game. This winning ticket was sold at the Shop ‘N Go on Greenville Avenue in Johnston. Alfred plans on sharing the prize money with his three daughters.

$30,000

Jacinto Bolarinho of Rumford won the $30,000 top prize on a "Wild 7's Slingo" instant ticket. Jacinto came to the Lottery's validations office accompanied by his daughter and grandson. He had no definite plans at the time for the cash, but a trip back home to Portugal is a possibility.

$30,000

Melanie Harnois and Casey Kidwell of Woonsocket claimed a $30,000 winning "Do-It-Yourself Dollars" instant ticket. The couple plays the Lottery on occasion, but this is their first big win. They are planning to pay off some bills, and put the rest of the prize money in the bank.

The Top Prize Drawing for the Stack'em Instant ticket game was held August 17th at Lottery Headquarters on Pontiac Ave., Cranston. Pamela McMahon and Donald Hanos of Pawtucket were awarded the $50,000 prize. The winning ticket was purchased from Duffy's Tavern in North Kingstown, where the couple often goes for dinner. The two work together for the landscaping company Donald owns.
The couple says that Pamela's good luck charm, a pocket-sized clear stone with an angel embedded in it, is the reason they won. Over the years the lucky charm has helped them find lost valuables, but today was the angel's first time bringing them a big Lottery win.

$85,000

$85,000 Wild Money Jackpot Hit
Carl Beckford of Providence hit the $85,000 Wild Money Jackpot on June 20, 2006. Two days passed before Carl realized he was the lucky ticket holder. Carl purchased this ticket from the County Farms on Pocasset Avenue in Providence. He and his wife plan on taking a vacation with a portion of the winnings. There was a hot streak of winners in Rhode Island that week, with more than $145,000 of prize money won in drawings.

$12,000

Money Money Money” Top Prize Winner
The Top Prize Drawing for the “Money Money Money” Instant Ticket Game was held June 8th at Lottery Headquarters on Pontiac Ave. in Cranston. Edgar Wolff Jr., a West Warwick man present at the drawing, was awarded the $12,000 prize. The winning ticket was purchased from Borowski's Café on Main St. in West Warwick. The lucky ticket holder plays the Lottery occasionally, always switching from one Instant Game to another. His strategy paid off, and now he plans on using the winnings to pay some bills.

$10,000

$10,000 PowerBall® Winner
Richard Desmarais of Slatersville claimed a $10,000 PowerBall® prize from the June 21, 2006 drawing. He had purchased the winning ticket from Liberty Market on Main Street in Woonsocket. Richard's sister picked him up the next morning, and between the time she left her own home and arrived at his, Richard had realized the worth of his PowerBall® ticket. The two came straight down to Lottery headquarters, shaking with excitement.

$30,000

A $30,000 winning ticket, sold in Rhode Island for the April 8, 2006 PowerBall® drawing, has been claimed by 60 Foxwoods co-workers. Sharon Brown of Westerly came to Lottery Headquarters to collect the prize on behalf of the group. Each of the employees had pitched in a few dollars towards PowerBall® tickets for that Saturday's drawing. Because this group purchased the PowerPlay® option, they multiplied their $10,000 winnings by the PowerPlay® Number 3, resulting in the $30,000 pot, which they will split equally 60 ways. Many of the co-workers have been playing in this PowerBall® pool for two years now, and it has finally paid off.

$10,000

Adriana Zuleta of Pawtucket won big on the Daily Numbers for the fourth time. Years ago a coworker gave her a four digit number and said that it would be very lucky for her. She took the advice and played the combination faithfully. On Tuesday, May 16th, Adriana's number came in again, entitling her to another $10,000 payout. In the past, Adriana has won a $5,000, $10,000, and $15,000 Daily Numbers prize.

$10,000

Pamela Camara of Bristol, RI went out for a dinner with her Family on Mother's Day to the Elks Club. She purchased $5 worth of Keno plays at the restaurant, and on the very first game won $10,000. When Pamela came in first thing Monday morning, to cash in her ticket, she said that the unexpected win was a great Mother's Day present.

$10,000

Vincent Greco of Providence won $10,000 in the May 10th PowerBall® drawing. He was aware of the win but waited over a week to cash in his ticket. The reason for the delay was that he had purchased another ticket for the next PowerBall® drawing. He figured it would be best to wait and see if that one was also a winner. This way he would save himself a trip back to the validations office. The second ticket was not as lucky, but Vincent was still thrilled with his one big win. He plans on buying a new computer with the prize money, and banking what is left over.

$50,000

Adelle James of Providence was the lucky $50,000 top prize winner of the Red Hot Cash instant ticket game. Originally, Adelle scratched off a prize worth $1,000 and a chance to win $50,000 in the top prize drawing. The drawing was held the morning of March 24th. Soon after, the Lottery Director called Adelle to break the good news. She came in later that day to claim her winnings, and when asked if she was excited to get the news, Adelle replied that she does not get excited when anyone calls that early. Adelle James was a pleasure to have in the validations office, entertaining all with her good humor and quick wit.

$4,000

The $4,000 win on P's & Q's may help Mississippi resident ShaKeitha Dunning and her family feel a little more comfortable in their new surroundings. Living in Providence since hurricane Katrina forced evacuation from her home state, Sha Keitha bought the Top Prize Winning instant ticket at 7-Eleven on Weybosset St. in Providence.

Like most PowerBall® players, Bruce and Kerrie Atwell of East Providence had hopes of hitting the $43.6 million jackpot on the June 18, 2005 drawing. After purchasing a ticket at the Cumberland Farms store on Pawtucket Avenue, they tossed the ticket into a “junk” drawer and forgot about it. Four months later, while looking for a pen to write bills, Bruce spotted the ticket in the drawer and took it back to the store to check it.

They may not have won the jackpot, but they were thrilled to learn that their ticket was one of five $100,000 winners bought through the Rhode Island Lottery for that drawing.

Congratulations on your win!

$200,000

Richard Palazzo shares the winning feeling with Lori Goozey after winning a $200,000 PowerBall® prize from the October 8 drawing. The Coventry residents purchased their winning ticket at Brookside Package Store in West Warwick.

$57,000

Johnny Castillo of Providence claimed a hefty $57,000 prize after winning the October 20 drawing for Wild Money. He purchased the winning ticket at Charlie’s Variety in Providence.

Rhode Island Lottery VIP Member Linda Coulter of Cranston shares the spotlight with her husband after her name was drawn as the winner of a trip for two to Las Vegas! Linda’s name was drawn from over 4,000 RILOT.com visitors who signed up as VIP Members before September 1, 2005.

Donna Manocchio shows off her $10,000 winning check from the Lottery’s Silver & Gold Top Prize Drawing Instant Game. Top prize drawing games offer players a second chance to win grand prizes when their winning ticket displays a special prize entry eligibility symbol.

CONGRATULATIONS!!! WINNERS

Four names from the thousands of non-winning Keno tickets that were entered into the Rhode Island Lottery’s Keno PlayFIVE! for $10,000 promotion were drawn at a Lottery Party held on July 1, 2005 at Lincoln Park.

Besides giving away four $10,000 drawing prizes, Rhode Island Lottery staff gave away free plays of Instant Games, Daily Numbers, Wild Money, Keno, HotTrax® and PowerBall® to Lincoln Park patrons during the two hour event.

Staff from the Rhode Island Lottery wait to greet patrons at Lincoln Park for a Lottery party. Pictured left to right are Donald Cataldi, Jane Tougas and Angelo Petrocelli.

$10,000

Manuel Botelho of Lincoln (right) is congratulated by Donald Cataldi.

$10,000

Donald Drape of Cranston, is congratulated by Lottery Executive Director Gerald S. Aubin

Donut Bazar, Cranston

$10,000

David Stevens of West Greenwich

Breads n Stuff, West Warwick

$10,000

Linda Nutini of Cranston

Express Food Mart, Warwick

More Winners...

$5,000

Michael Surtel enjoys the winning feeling after playing High 5’s Instant Ticket game. The West Warwick resident purchased the $5,000 winning ticket at Nikki’s Liquors in Cranston.

$161,775

Michael Ferreira of West Warwick picks up $161,775 in Wild Money winnings from a ticket he purchased at Sam’s Food Store in Warwick.

$10,000

John Costa added $10,000 to his winnings after his Top Prize Drawing Instant Ticket, $10,000 Wild Joker was drawn at the Warwick Mall TPD event.

Gail and Steven Whitaker enjoy the thrill of winning at a recent Keno Night hosted by Kim Holly’s Bar & Grill in Coventry. Each week, the Lottery visits a different Retailer, offering increased jackpots on selected games, along with prizes to add to the fun!

$100,000

Lottery validations staff member Donna Gawlik presents a check to Dennis Manning (far left), Pat Finch (second from left), and Howie Hopkins, owner of Village Pub in Coventry, where a group of friends purchased a $100,000 prize-winning PowerBall ticket.

$650

Gloria Joubert of West Warwick shows off the Rhode Island Lottery mug and t-shirt she received in addition to a check for $650 in Keno prize winnings. She played her favorite numbers at Milk ‘n’ More in Cranston.

$53,000 & $20,000

Three consecutive draws resulted in three jackpot winners in the Rhode Island Lottery’s Wild Money game. Yvette Stevens collected $53,000 in prize winnings, while Mario Aguiar and another lucky player collected $20,000. The tickets were purchased at Stop & Shop in Woonsocket, Clift’s Variety in Providence, and Stop & Shop in Coventry.

$51,000

Michael and Lorraine Campopiano took home a $51,000 Wild Money jackpot after playing the game at Stop & Shop in Cranston.

$50,000

Top Prize Drawings

Levia Finocchiaro receives congratulations from Rhode Island Lottery Executive Director, Gerald Aubin, after she collected a $50,000 prize as a Top Prize Drawing winner on the Instant Ticket Hidden Treasures.

$10,000

Top Prize Drawings

Linda Auger’s TPD Instant Ticket, The Cash Zone, made her $10,000 richer.