X Marked the Spot for Two Instant Games Players this Month
Instant Games Players Received More Than $101.6 Million in Prizes in October
TRENTON (Nov. 28, 2017) – Gorge Toledo of Newark likes to play new Instant Games when they are introduced to market. He visited his local retailer, Getty Food Mart on 242 Elizabeth Ave., Newark in Essex County and bought a pack of the new 50X THE BUCKS game.
As he scratched through the pack, he found a few winning tickets totaling $160. When he got to the last ticket in the pack, he simply scratched and scanned it quickly with his phone, not looking at the ticket. When his phone read "File Claim" he got confused and took it to the counter to have them scan it. The retailer scanned his ticket and gave him the good news - his ticket was a $1,000,000 top-prize winner. Gorge said he started shaking and showed the ticket to another store employee for confirmation.
Gorge is very excited for this win and says it came at a great time for him and his extended family. He plans to pay off their student loans and buy a multi-family home for them to live in together.
Another big winner this month was Carlos Rodriguez of Paterson. A few months ago, he was fortunate to have won over $3,000 playing Pick-4. Already familiar with the address, Carlos arrived at Lottery Headquarters again and this time to claim an even bigger prize.
Carlos purchased a $5 Hot Spot Bingo ticket from his local retailer, Azan Mart, 241 21st Ave., Paterson in Passaic County and brought it home to play. As he scratched through the eight bingo games on the ticket, the final game board began forming an X pattern. If the X was complete it would make the ticket a $100,000 prizewinner!
It looked like a winner to Carlos but he simply wasn't certain. He rechecked the ticket many times himself and then asked his family to do the same. The next day, Carlos arrived at Lottery Headquarters, the ticket was validated and his win was confirmed. When asked what he will do with the prize, Carlos said that he will put the money towards a home of his own.
New Jersey Lottery players claimed more than $101.6 million in prizes playing Instant Games in October. Below is a listing of the top prizes, over $10,000, won for the month.
| October 2017 Instant Game Top-Tier Winning Tickets | ||||||
| Name | Address | City | County | Game# | Game Name | Valid Amount |
| Getty Food Mart | 242 Elizabeth Ave. | Newark | Essex | 1444 | 50x The Bucks | $1,000,000.00 |
| Felix Deli & Grocery | 314 South Broad St. | Trenton | Mercer | 1408 | $500 Money Madness | $200,000.00 |
| Raritan Discount Liquors | 510 Raritan St. | Sayreville | Middlesex | 1443 | 20x The Bucks | $200,000.00 |
| Azan Mart | 241 21ST Ave. | Paterson | Passaic | 1414 | Hot Spot Bingo | $100,000.00 |
| Latinos Grocery | 2400 Central Ave. | Union City | Hudson | 1409 | Loteria | $30,000.00 |
| Gregory Liquor Store | 1772 East State St. | Hamilton | Mercer | 1409 | Loteria | $30,000.00 |
| New Jersey Bargain | 827 Elizabeth Ave. | Elizabeth | Union | 1433 | Big Money Spectacular | $30,000.00 |
| Little Store | 1503-1507 Clinton Ave. | South Plainfield | Middlesex | 1438 | Crossword | $20,000.00 |
| Manhattan Liquors | 3300 J F Kennedy Blvd. | Jersey City | Hudson | 1438 | Crossword | $20,000.00 |
| Wawa #8302 | 350 New Rd. | Parsippany | Morris | 1441 | 5x The Bucks | $10,000.00 |
| Steve's Food Store | 42 North Main St. | Flemington | Hunterdon | 1441 | 5x The Bucks | $10,000.00 |
| Total | $1,650,000.00 | |||||
