Irishwoman wins NY lottery

An Irish woman stranded by winter storms in the United States has won a jackpot of $21.5 million (€15.6 million) in the New York State Lottery.

Patricia Eisel (40), a mother of three who lives in Long Beach, Nassau County, posted all six numbers in the multi-million Lotto jackpot on January 5th after spending €8.

Ms Eisel, who works as a waitress, claimed her winnings yesterday at a press conference on Long Island, and she is now back in Ireland with her mother in Tullamore, Co Offaly.

When collecting her prize, Ms Eisel, who moved to the United States in 1995, told reporters she was meant to be back in Ireland at the time of playing the lottery. Bad winter weather over Christmas forced her to stay in the New York, where she bought her winning ticket.

“When I checked my numbers I just started shaking,” she said. “I was doing my laundry at the time and decided to check the results from the night before. All six numbers matched the numbers on my ticket and I froze. I composed myself, gathered up my laundry and went to a friend’s house to make sure I wasn’t seeing things.”

Ms Eisel is now visiting her mother in Ireland to celebrate her winnings after picking up a once-off lump payout of $11.9 million, which comes to about $7.9 million (€5.7 million) after taxes are levied. She was one of eight players who won a combined $32.5 million in the January 5th draw.

Questioned on her plans for the future, the lucky winner said: "I will buy a home, not a house, here in New York. Something very comfortable with a big fenced in yard that the boys can run around in. I know they’ll be thrilled when I tell them we’ll also buy a family dog to run around the yard with them."

She also plans to take her children to Disneyland.

The New York Lottery, which was founded over 40 years ago, is North America's biggest and most profitable lottery. Revenue is used to fund education, and more than $39.3 billion has been generated for the sector statewide.