A Take 5 lotto ticket in the amount of nearly $20,000 was sold in the Hunts Point section of the South Bronx, the New York Lottery announced Wednesday.
Nelly’s Deli Grocery Corp, located at 1240 Spofford Ave. on the corner of Barretto Street had the literal luck of the jackpot — well, the luck of the Take 5 drawing — selling the $19,034.50 ticket.
An employee at Nelly’s told the Bronx Times in Spanish on May 15 that they hadn’t heard about the lucky winner yet.
The Take 5 game costs just $1 to play. According to the New York Lottery, all players have to do is choose five numbers from one to 39. If the five numbers on the ticket match the five of the lottery, a player takes home the winning prize.
Numbers are drawn twice per day, once at 2:30 p.m. and again at 10:30 p.m.
This is at least the third big-ticket winner in the South Bronx just over the past year.
In July 2023, a South Bronx Fairfield Food Inc. gas station sold the winning $1 million Powerball ticket. The owner claimed to know the winner, saying the person was a deserving and loyal customer with kids and multiple jobs.
Then again in January of this year, another South Bronx gas station called Mukti Petroleum sold a $1 million Mega Millions ticket. The owner of the station told the Bronx Times in a prior interview that the Mega Millions prize was by far the largest of any winners at his 25 locations throughout Queens and the Bronx — he had sold several $20,000 and $50,000 tickets, but the $1 million was a first.
In both previous cases, the establishment owners said they were glad to sell winning tickets in the South Bronx — especially to locals. In 2021, the median household income of the South Bronx was just $32,381 compared to New York City’s average of $70,663, according to the State Comptroller’s office.
The Nelly’s winner will have a year from the date of the draw to claim their prize, according to the New York Lottery.
Reach Camille Botello at cbotello@schnepsmedia.com. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
