Villas ‘Hole In the Wall’ Deli Sold $82 Million Lottery Ticket

VILLAS – A little “hole in the wall” deli here sold one of Friday’s four winning Mega Millions Lottery tickets worth approximately $82 million, and the winner reportedly is a local Villas man who owners say couldn’t have deserved it more.
Nick DiRenzo, son of the market’s owner Frank, said Saturday afternoon that his store, the Blitz’s Hole In the Wall Market at 902 Bayshore Rd. here received a visit Saturday morning from a representative of the New Jersey Lottery who informed him the store had sold a winning ticket.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Nick said.
Nick said the winner has not come forward yet but called the store Saturday morning and his staff recognized his voice. He said he is a regular patron of the store: a quiet man in his 50s, retired, who enjoys fishing, and who, as he and his employee Patti Jackson said, is well-deserving of the windfall.
Staff, patrons and media were all buzzing at the store Saturday morning and afternoon while they mulled over what they would do if they had won $82 million.
“Best of luck to whoever won,” said Harry Moran, of Villas, a commercial fisherman and regular patron who often comes into Blitz’s to purchase scratch-off tickets. Luck is a funny thing, he said. “It’s all in God’s hands.”
“I like it because it’s a local who won,” said Stephanie Lazer, of Cape May with a smile.
Lazer and her mom and two friends were enjoying a late morning lunch at an outside table at the deli.
“I bought 16 tickets for this one, but won nothing,” said Debbie McGee, Stephanie’s mother.
None of the ladies felt envious, they said. They all were excited and happy for the winner.
Sharon Mellor of Villas chatted with Jackson for awhile on her regular stop in to purchase a few tickets for upcoming games.
“I stop in regularly,” she said, “and buy the Pick 3s or Pick 4s. I bought a couple of tickets for the Mega Millions but didn’t win anything,” she said.
Mellor said her 18-year-old daughter bought her first lottery ticket at the store recently.
“I told here to check the numbers,” said Mellor with a laugh. “She hadn’t won.”
Estimates for a lump sum payment option amount to $48,615,188. The other winning tickets were sold in Maryland, Virginia and Texas.
This is the second time this year that a winning Mega Millions Lottery ticket was sold in Cape May County. The previous sale was in Woodbine earlier this year.
The winning numbers were 8-18-22-40-44 and the Mega Ball was 11.
Friday night’s Mega Millions jackpot is worth an estimated $330 million.