A 22-year old Manhattan deli clerk that took the late shift on New Year's Eve lucked out when he bought himself a winning scratch-off ticket. While everyone else was welcoming 2008 with friends and family, the Yemen native's wife and baby were still living a world away, so Waleed Alsaidi bought himself a little present at his family's deli in Harlem to pass time on the lonely shift.
The NY Post reports on the feel-good story, which happily ended with Alsaidi getting the largest payout in New York scratch-off history! Happy New Year, indeed. He picked up his big check at Castle Clinton in Battery Park yesterday, and told those in attendance that he hadn't let his wife know yet, and wanted to surprise her with the news when he visited.
The $20 ticket earns him $10,000 per week for the rest of his life, which comes to about $6,450 after taxes. He says "I'm going to start living good," and after the visit to his wife and baby, he will try to bring them and other relatives to the U.S.
The Post points out that "if he lives to be more than 100, his winnings will be nearly $40 million, before taxes."
Photo of man scratching off ticket via Sky Shaper's Flickr.
