He took a chance at a Bedford mini mart, now he's a scratch-off lottery millionaire

Mario Rodriguez Donis won $3 million with a New York Lottery scratch-off ticket. NEW YORK LOTTERY PHOTO

A Bedford Hills man won the top prize in the New York Lottery’s $3 Million Max game.

Mario Rodriguez Donis purchased the scratch-off ticket at the A Plus Mini Mart at 791 North Bedford Road, Bedford Hills. The Sunoco station and convenience store has a large acrylic display dispenser for an array of colorful scratch-off tickets on one side of the checkout counter.

A clerk at the counter Wednesday said the owner wasn’t around to comment on the lucky customer. The merchant also gets a windfall, but exactly how much that was in this case isn’t clear.

Rodriguez Donis recently redeemed his ticket at Lottery headquarters, opting for a single lump sum payment of $1,360,593, after required withholdings. 

The Lottery said that all top prizes on the $3,000,000 Max ticket have been claimed. Valid lower tier prizes may be cashed through March 6, 2027. The status of any New York Lottery scratch-off game can be checked by downloading the Game Report at nylottery.ny.gov. 

A clerk at the A Plus Mini Mart in Bedford Hills, and the lottery ticket display. THANE GRAUEL PHOTO

New York Lottery scratch-off games generated $4,339,794,048 in total sales during fiscal year 2024-2025. School districts in Westchester County received $136,234,133 in Lottery Aid to Education funds during the same period.