Harlem winner of $343.8 million Powerball jackpot comes forward
NEW YORK (WABC) -- The New York Lottery on Wednesday revealed the identity of the winner of the state's largest lotto jackpot in history.
Sixty-seven-year-old Robert Bailey, a retired federal government employee from Harlem, was presented with a ceremonial check for $343.8 million at Resorts World Casino in Jamaica, Queens.
"A family member gave me the numbers over 25 years ago, and I faithfully play them," Bailey said.
Bailey bought the winning ticket at West Harlem Deli at 2040 5th Avenue and East 126th Street and matched all six numbers in the October 27 drawing.
WATCH: NYC Powerball winner Robert Bailey comes forward
"I buy my tickets at three or four different stores," he said. "It was raining that day, so I went into the deli to get out of the rain and bought my tickets there."
Bailey said he checked his ticket online after the drawing and was shocked at what he saw.
"I said to myself, 'These look like my numbers,'" he said. "I tried to remain calm and sat down to watch some shows I had on my DVR. I didn't sleep the rest of the night."
One other winning ticket was sold in the $687.8 million Powerball jackpot, with a woman from Iowa claiming her share of the prize last week.
The winning numbers were 8, 12, 13, 19 and 27, and Powerball 4.
"It's a good life changer," Bailey said. "I plan to do the right thing with my money."
RELATED: The 10 largest lottery jackpots of all time and their winners
Powerball is played in 44 states. Odds of winning the Powerball jackpot is 1 in 292 million.
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