Brooklyn’s Yolanda Vega is retiring from the New York Lottery
YOOOOLAHHHHNDA Vega gave hope and uplift to New Yorkers for 32 years. She has a few tips for lottery players on her way out
Say it with us: stretch out the “Yoooo,” punch the “LAHHN,” stick the “da.” Yolanda Vega, the beloved face of the New York Lottery, is retiring after more than three decades of hosting the draw.
The Brooklyn-born personality has charmed New Yorkers with the uplifting delivery of her own name at the beginning of her lottery TV appearances since 1990. The lotto said on Twitter that it “truly hit the jackpot by having her as a part of the New York Lottery family.”
Yolanda Vega, our iconic Draw Team member, has retired after an incredible 32 years. We truly hit the jackpot by having her as a part of the New York Lottery family. Let’s send her off in the comments below by posting our favorite Yolanda Vega memories. #pleaseplayresponsibly pic.twitter.com/XrBMPCJuwf
— New York Lottery (@newyorklottery) January 24, 2022
Vega has a degree in business economics and graduated from Hunter College. She said she got the lottery job by “being in the right place at the right time.” As for the iconic pronunciation of her name, a director once told her to stop but she kept doing it anyway because she was “proud” of her name.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2I9WsTmlbs
She’s also the face viewers see when lottery winners get those huge checks, a job she took seriously. “I find out how they feel about winning, what led up to the winning,” she once said. “I find out details about them, and it makes them feel comfortable because they’re looking at me. Don’t look at the audience, don’t look at the camera, just talk to me.”
And for anyone looking for lottery tips from the queen herself, she suggests to play Quick Pick because there’s always “a lot of winners.”
