Wyckoff Quik Mart Sells Winning $1 Million Powerball Ticket

Have a co-worker go MIA at the office on Friday?

See a large caravan of trucks making special luxury deliveries to a neighbor over the weekend?

You may want to check if he or she is a frequent shopper at the ...and if they happen to be a POWERBALL lottery player.

If so... hope you're on good terms.

On Wednesday the Quik Mart, located in a strip mall directly across the street from The Brick House, sold a second place POWERBALL ticket that hit five of six winning numbers for $200,000. But because the ticket purchaser used the "Power Play" option when playing, the prize amount quintupled to $1 million. According to the New Jersey Lottery website "PowerPlay® is a special feature that allows a winner to multiply the original prize amount by 2, 3, 4 or 5 times not include the jackpot. The Match 5 prize with PowerPlay® option will always be multiplied 5X's for $1 million cash."

Quik Mart Manager Ghanshyam Patel, who's brother owns the store, said he became aware they had sold the winning ticket on Thursday morning, when a lottery inspector walked into the store and broke the news.

"That was my first really big prize in 10 years," said Patel, who added he only plays the lottery himself "once in a while", but might consider taking it up a little more frequently now.

Patel was able to break the really big news to the winning ticket owner himself on Thursday. The prize winner, who Patel described as a 60ish Midland Park resident who frequents the store 3-4 times a week, came in shortly after the lottery inspector on Thursday believing he had won "only" the $200,000 prize.

"He knew he had won the $200,000. But didn't realize because of the Power Play he had won $1 million. I told him. Then he got a little scared,"  Patel said with a laugh. "He's a lucky guy."

Indeed. The five winning numbers selected by the "lucky guy"?

19, 20, 42, 56, 58.

He missed only the red ball power number, selecting 34 instead of the winning 37.

While the winner hasn't yet publicly surfaced, Wyckoff Patch was able to break a bit of good news on Saturday to Patel, who was under the impression his store would see no prize money because the winning ticket hit only five out of the six winning numbers. But according to the Lottery's Executive Director Carole Hedinger, the Quik Mart will receive a bonus check for $500. Not quite a cool million...but still not bad for selling a winning ticket.

Plus... there's all the publicity and cache that goes with being THE lucky Quik Mark in town.

"I think it will definitley help with business. I hope my luck might be starting up now," Patel said, adding "Plus, there's always the chance of a nice tip from the winning customer," he said laughing.