Jilted young man with two jobs wins $30.5m in lottery

By Melissa M. Werthmann, Globe Correspondent

Unlucky in love, but lucky in the lottery, a 22-year-old Hyannis man who was recently dumped by his girlfriend has won $30.5 million.

And Sandeep Singh says he’s hoping not to get any calls from the woman who jilted him now that he’s a millionaire.

“She broke up with me, but right now, I’m not really worried about it,” Singh said. “I was heartbroken at first, but now I’m getting over it.”

Singh, who currently works at two jobs to help his family make ends meet, won $4 on a scratch-off lottery ticket and used those meager winnings to buy four quick pick Mega Millions tickets, including the winning $30.5 million ticket.

Singh, who goes by “Sunny,” came forward with his mother, sister, and niece Wednesday to claim his prize. Singh elected to receive the money in a one-time, lump sum payment of approximately $23 million. After taxes, he should net about $16.1 million.

The winning numbers, 13-37-40-46-52 and a Megaball of 29, were announced Tuesday. A winner in Fresno, Calif., and Singh are splitting the $61 million prize, according to the state lottery.

But Singh said he hadn’t heard that the big winner was from Hyannis. He got home from work and checked the lottery’s website just before midnight Tuesday.

“I was in my sister’s room on the computer reading the numbers,” he said at a press conference Wednesday evening at state lottery headquarters in Braintree. “I didn’t know what to do. I dropped the ticket.”

Singh said it took a while for reality to sink in. He had been playing Mega Millions and Powerball every two to three weeks for about a year. He was still in shock.

“I always told them one day I’ll eventually win and they never believed me,” Singh said, “but it happened.”

It was Singh’s older sister who actually purchased the winning ticket, he said.

“I thanked her so much,” he said. “Words can’t explain what she’s done for our family.”

Singh said he will definitely share the money with his sister, who is his only sibling. He plans to pay off his mother’s mortgage, share the prize with family, and donate money to charity.

“Just pay my mom’s house off, that’s the main thing,” he said.

Singh has been helping pay his family’s bills for years, working multiple jobs to make ends meet.

He started working at McDonald’s as a teenager. He said he will be giving his two weeks’ notice at Best Buy. Singh also works as a teller at Citizens Bank and said he will give his two weeks’ notice at the end of the fiscal quarter in December, according to the state lottery.

“My dad was around and then he passed away my freshman year of high school, so that’s when I really started helping out,” he said. “My mom needs the help and my family could use it, so God definitely helped us out at the right time.”

Singh studied computer science for two years at Cape Cod Community College and hopes to use some of the money to get his bachelor’s degree in business. Singh said he never thought much about a “dream school” but will look into the University of Massachusetts.

Singh said he is unlikely to play the lottery again and is not yet sure how the prize will affect his life.

“Hopefully for the better,” he said.

The winning ticket was sold at AM/PM Convenience on Bearses Way in Hyannis. The store will get a $50,000 commission from the win, Beth Bresnahan, spokeswoman for the lottery said.

Singh said he had no special method, lucky numbers, or favorite store. He just buys quick picks from whatever place he is near.

“If I’m around, I have, like, a dollar to spare or two dollars, I’ll get a scratch ticket or something,” he said.

Candido Oliveira, of Dorchester, was the last Massachusetts resident to win the Mega Million jackpot, said the state lottery. Oliveira won a $32 million jackpot on Aug. 19, 2011.