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"Albany Seven" Lotto Winners Still <strike>Boring</strike> Normal People From Albany
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Jul 5, 2011
Modified Jul 5, 2011
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Jul 5, 2011
Modified Jul 5, 2011
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What is it with all this lotto modesty? Most of those 20 Costco employees on Long Island who won a $201 million jackpot say that they're sticking with their careers. Now a visit to the "Albany Seven" who split a $319 million jackpot reveals that none of them have engaged in the sort of risk-seeking, insane behavior that most Americans are just a a ticket away from displaying? One winner is barely "in the process of getting a dishwasher." How are they doing without crocodile-skin Bentleys? Where are the winner-take-all craps games on drug smugglers' yachts in international waters?
While all seven winners have quit their jobs with the state Homes and Community Renewal agency, they've kept low profiles and tight wallets. Gabrielle Mahar, whose boyfriend still does the dishes until they get that dishwasher, tells the Post that she spends her days "bicycle riding and tending to the roses and lilies in her garden." Instead of replacing her broken stove, another woman opted for a repair, because "You are who you are, you're not going to change."
Winner Mike Barth, who received $19 million along with his six colleagues, made everyone pay up at a recent meal with coworkers, and "used a calculator to figure out the tip." Unless he can keep his earnings a secret forever, we hope he gets used to eating Loogie Sandwiches! As for that poor soul who decided not to buy a ticket that week, he's not surprised that the gang is still the same: "[The winners] were our friends before they won the lotto, and they are our friends after they won the lotto."
Tagged
albany seven
lottery winners
lotto
mega millions
millions
modesty
new york lotto
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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