Albanian immigrants wins lottery prize

TIRANA, Jan. 3 – Hampton Bays resident Shefki Mati, an Albanian, borrowed $6,000 from a friend to fund a vacation to Albania with his daughter, Shpresa, last summer. That caused concern to his wife Teuta Zekaj about his ability to pay the money back.
But he had every confidence.
“‘Don’t worry,'” Mati recalled. “‘We’ll win the lottery.'”
And just about two weeks ago, they did. The couple cashed in a third-place winning Mega Millions ticketدne of the drawings the New York State Lottery participates inئrom the December 21 game. The gross payout: $10,000.
Mati paid $5 for a Quick Pick ticket at the 7-Eleven on Montauk Highway in Hampton Bays, he said. The 55-year-old said he usually picks celebratory dates to play, like his family members’ birthdays.
The following morning, Mati woke up at 5 a.m. and flipped on the television, tuning it to ABC. What happened next caught him off guard.