LINDENWOLD, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — A regular customer who has been playing the lottery for years at a South Jersey convenience store is now a multimillionaire. The person matched all six numbers in Monday night’s Powerball drawing, winning the $221 million grand prize.
Lottery officials say the odds of hitting this Powerball jackpot were 1 in 292.2 million. The winning ticket — with the numbers 3, 10, 33, 58, 59 and Powerball 9 — was sold at Preet Food Mart on Chews Landing Road in Lindenwold.
Store owner Harish Patel said the winner is a shop regular. He learned he sold the winning ticket after watching store surveillance footage.
“He spends almost $60 every day, and he’s a really good guy,” he said.
Patel knows his customers well. He said this customer likely won’t even check his ticket until he comes to the store to scan it.
“I know he’s not going to check his ticket because that’s his habit,” Patel said. “He comes walking into the store and checks it in the ticket checker and he realizes if he wins or not.”
Patel has been selling lottery tickets for 30 years. He’s sold winners before, but he’s so thrilled about selling a jackpot ticket that one would think he won the prize himself.
“I’ve been waiting for when I’m going to sell the jackpot. I’ve been thinking about this. I have to sell the jackpot, and it’s come true,” he said. “I’m overly excited I sold the jackpot to make someone rich.”
His store also received a $30,000 bonus check for selling the winning ticket.
When the winner comes forward, they can choose to take the full $221 million prize, paid out as an annuity, or a lump sum cash option of $104.7 million. The winner has until June 10, 2025, to claim the prize. Winners in New Jersey have the option to remain anonymous.