VINALHAVEN, Maine — Daniel Desmond’s $25 investment reaped an instant mammoth return.
Desmond won $1 million last week in an instant scratch-off game of the Maine State Lottery.
“It couldn’t happen to a nicer guy,” said Angie Miller on Tuesday who sold him the winning ticket on June 10 at the Fishermen’s Friend convenience store on West Main Street on this island in Penobscot Bay.
The ticket was sold on Wednesday last week but the store was not aware that Desmond had won until being notified Friday by state lottery officials. Desmond had collected his winnings the previous day in Augusta. Stores can only pay out prizes of $500 or less.
When Desmond later stopped in the store after it was known he was the winner, Miller said he was very calm.
“He is a very laid back guy. He was stoic about it,” she said.
Desmond is a master electrician.
The store gets $10,000 for selling the ticket, which was from the game $40,000,000 Fortune. A news release from the Lottery states that the $40,000,000 Fortune instant game offers the highest payout in the Maine State Lottery’s history, with over $40 million in cash prizes, including a top prize of $2 million, four prizes of $1,000,000 and $11.5 million in prizes from $50 to $500.”
A telephone message left for Desmond on Tuesday morning was not immediately returned.