Watch CBS News

Lucky Irishman Brendan Riordan Wins New York Lottery

YONKERS, NY (CBSNewYork) - Call it the luck of the Irish.

Brendan Riordan, a native son of Cavan, Ireland had been playing the New York Lottery with the money he was saving having given up cigarettes and now he's won big.

WCBS 880's Paul Murnane On The Story

Podcast

The 28-year-old realtor stood alongside lottery maven Yolanda Vega in Yonkers on Friday and smiled for reporters to claim his prize from the Win For Life Spectacular scatch-off game.

"You know, you check about a hundred times to make sure it is real," Riordan said.

LISTEN: 1010 WINS' Al Jones On The Story

Podcast

Riordan will receive $10,000 a week and is guaranteed to receive a minimum of $10 million over the next 20 years.

Riordan plans to buy a home in New York and a car with the winnings.

His father, John, seems a little more keen to the notion of the luck of the Irish.

"When you walk into a store and you buy a ticket that may be sitting there for two hours before you got there, and nobody else bought it and you bought it and it's the one handed, it's luck," he said. "I've been buying scratch cards for the past five, 10 years and the most I've ever got, I think, was $100. I'm Irish. So, the luck of the Irish didn't come on me."

28-year-old

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.