Shirley man claims top prize in $3 million scratch-off game, Lottery says

Kurt Kelleher, of Shirley, claimed the $3 million prize in New... — Kurt Kelleher, of Shirley, claimed the $3 million prize in New York Lottery’s Bonus Bucks scratch-off game. Credit: NY Lottery

By Maureen Mullarkeymaureen.mullarkey@newsday.comUpdated November 4, 2025

The holidays arrived a few weeks ahead of time for one Suffolk County resident Monday after he claimed a $3 million prize from a New York Lottery scratch-off ticket.

Kurt Kelleher, of Shirley, claimed the top prize on the Bonus Bucks scratch-off game, the New York Lottery said.

He opted to receive the prize in 20 annual payments of $97,653 each after required withholdings, the lottery website said.

The winning ticket was purchased at King Kullen on William Floyd Parkway in Shirley.

Two additional $3 million top prizes remain to be claimed on the Bonus Bucks game, the lottery said. Players can check the status of any New York Lottery scratch-off game by downloading the Game Report at nylottery.ny.gov.

By Maureen Mullarkey

maureen.mullarkey@newsday.com

Maureen Mullarkey is a breaking news reporter at Newsday. She previously worked as a reporter for Patch, where she covered a range of Long Island stories on topics such as the Diocese of Rockville Centre bankruptcy and the Babylon School District abuse scandals.

Streaming Now