Momta Grocery, a bodega on Vernon Boulevard in Long Island City, sold a $1 million winning lottery ticket Friday (Photo: Google Maps and Wikipedia)
Jan. 16, 2023 By Michael Dorgan
A Long Island City bodega sold a $1 million winning lottery ticket Friday — proving that Friday the 13th isn’t always an unlucky day.
Momta Grocery, located at 50-12 Vernon Blvd., sold the ticket that scored second prize in Friday’s Mega Millions draw, lottery officials said. The bodega is situated adjacent to Tournasol restaurant near the Vernon Blvd. – Jackson Ave. subway station.
The ticket holder was one of four second-place winners in New York, with each winning $1 million. Each player matched five numbers to scoop the prize.
The ticket holder has yet to be identified, according to a store worker who spoke to the Queens/LIC Post early Monday.
The store worker said that the staff at the bodega was notified about the win Saturday morning and the news has generated plenty of buzz in the neighborhood.
“We are very excited,’ the worker said. “A lot more people have been calling in to do the lottery here over the last few days.”
The winning ticket is the biggest the store has ever sold and follows on from a $79,000 winning Take 5 ticket the bodega sold in 2019, the store worker said.
Meanwhile, Friday’s Mega Millions winning jackpot ticket was sold in Maine, and that prizewinner nabbed the $1.35 billion top prize, officials said. The ticket holder has the choice of a lump-sum payment of $723.5 million or an annual payout over 30 years, according to reports.
The winning numbers for the Mega Millions jackpot were 30, 43, 45, 46 and 61, plus the power ball 14.
The winning numbers for the Mega Millions game are drawn from a field of one to 70 with the draw being televised every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m.
Friday’s draw came two days after a supermarket in Jamaica, Queens, sold a winning Take 5 ticket to one of its customers, officials said.
Devin Food, located at 148-40 Hillside Ave., sold the winning ticket worth $37,832 for the Jan. 11 draw.
Momta Grocery, located at 50-12 Vernon Blvd. (Photo: Google Maps)
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