Sept. 28, 2023 By Michael Dorgan
Check your ticket!
A bodega in Jackson Heights has sold a $1 million winning lottery ticket, lottery officials said.
The store, 37th Ave. Grocery Inc., is located at 82-06 37th Ave., and workers there sold the ticket for the Powerball draw on Wednesday, Sept. 27. The bodega is situated directly across the street from the Heritage Tower, a recently renovated nine-story office building located at 82-11 37th Ave.
The ticket holder matched the winning numbers of 1, 7, 46, 47, and 63 to scoop the $1 million prize — the second prize in the jackpot.
MD Hossain, 52, the owner of 37th Ave. Grocery Inc., told the Queens/Jackson Heights Post that the winner has not come forward.
He said he was delighted his store sold the winning ticket.
“I feel very good because customers are coming in response to [the win] and maybe my business will go up, and hopefully the [winning] person is happy too,” Hossain said.
Hossain, who is originally from Bangladesh, said he does not know which staff member sold the winning ticket.
He said spirits were high among staff and customers with many customers frequenting the bodega just to play the lottery or purchase scratch cards.
Hossain said the store has been open for 13 years and has sold many winning tickets before, though the $1 million winner is the biggest. He has posters plastered throughout the store showcasing the various amounts his customers have won down through the years.
One customer won $1,500 on a quick draw when the Queens/Jackson Heights Post visited earlier today.
The top Powerball prize will now roll over and increase to $925 million for the next drawing on Saturday, Sep. 30. There have been 29 consecutive drawings without a top prize winner, dating back to July 19, according to NBC.
A Lottery draw game prize of any amount may be claimed up to one year from the date of the drawing.