Powerball $245M win on Staten I.
Call it Fantasy Island.
A $245 million winning Powerball ticket was purchased at a supermarket on Staten Island, lottery officials said Sunday.
The name of the person who bought the ticket at the Stop & Shop on Hylan Blvd. in New Dorp was not known as of Sunday. Store employees told the Daily News that 50 to 100 people spend at least $5 on tickets and scratchoffs every day.
“I know a lot of people spend a lot of money and buy a lot of tickets," clerk Montana Herrera told The News. “And with the Mega and Powerball, I didn’t think anybody would win, but they did.”
“It’s exciting,” store manager Larry DiAntonio said. “Now it’s a waiting game to see who won. Hopefully, somebody in the community, somebody who’s a regular shopper in the store, or a worker. We don’t know.”
The winning numbers — 5, 43, 56, 62, 68 — reaped a top prize of $245.6 million. There was also a Powerball number of 24 and a Power Play of X2.
“I was thinking, ‘Damn, I should play,’ but then I thought, ‘Nah, because it’s not gonna happen here,’ ” Herrera said. “And then it happened.”
The winner should receive about $147 million before taxes, according to reports.
DiAntonio said that a lot of the customers are an “extension of his family” because he sees them almost every day.
“Maybe they’ll bring some of that money back,” DiAntonio joked.
Powerball is available in 44 states around the country. An Oregon resident won $150 million in June.