There could be worse second place prizes.
Two Long Island convenience stores—one in Massapequa and the other in Southampton—sold the $1 million second place Powerball prize for Wednesday’s $360 million drawing, according to lottery officials. But the jackpot, which now stands at $475 million, is still up for grabs.
The two local stores, Southampton Stationery on Hampton Road and Tutal Convenience on Broadway in Massapequa, were two of three locations in the state that sold the $1 million prize. The other was in Brooklyn. The state also had three third place winners, according to New York State Lottery’s website.
The new members of LI’s millionaire club came painfully close to claiming the top prize. All second place winners matched the first five numbers but failed to collect the power ball. The $475 million jackpot, the second largest in the game’s history, could possibly top the previous record of $587 million in Nov. 2012 by Saturday’s drawing, a Lottery spokeswoman said.
“It’s really exciting,” said Rosemary Jannsen, the wife of the owner of Southampton Stationery. “And we’re really happy it’s a local person.”
The woman who purchased the lucky ticket is an occasional shopper who stopped by the store Wednesday and paid $2 for Quick Pick, Jannsen said. It was the store’s highest-selling ticket since last year when a customer won $250,000 playing Mega Millions.
Jannsen’s store doesn’t get a cut of the winnings, she said, but she’s still basking in the excitement. Her customers have been calling the store all morning offering congratulations, she said.
The jackpot is now sure to climb over the $500 million mark, which will only add to the hysteria surrounding the game.
The next drawing is Saturday. The current cash payout is $302.4 million, according to Powerball’s website.
