$1 million lottery prize claimed is 3rd collected on Long Island this month

A Farmingdale man cashed in a winning $1 million scratch-off lottery ticket bought at Stew Leonard's on Tuesday, according to the official New York Lottery website.

Officials said Joseph Armenti hit the second-prize jackpot in the VIP Millions scratch-off game, electing to collect a one-time lump-sum payment of $651,010.

The game still has two $5 million top prizes and nine $1 million second prizes outstanding as of this week, lottery officials said.

The big winner was the third this month collected on Long Island, the lottery website saying a $13.9 million prize from a Christmas Eve Lotto drawing was collected June 8 by an LLC holding company from Jericho, while a $3 million Mega Millions prize was collected June 2 by a trust from Cutchogue.

Individual winners in those draws were not named.

The Lotto ticket, sold at Lovely Cards and Gifts on Oyster Bay Road in Hicksville, matched all six numbers in the Christmas Eve drawing — 4, 11, 23, 38, 41 and 49. The bonus number in that draw was 26. The one-time lump-sum payment after required holdings was $4,777,805, officials said.

The second-place Mega Millions winner was sold at NOFO Beer & Smoke on Middle Road in Mattituck. The winning numbers in that drawing were 10, 13, 40, 42 and 47 with Mega ball 1. A 3x random multiplier increased the second-place prize from $1 million to $3 million, the winner collecting $1,953,001 after holdings.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a Newsday reporter since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press, Society of the Silurians and National Headliner Awards for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing. He is the author of “Swee'pea,” about New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. His debut crime novel, “For Nothing Is Hidden,” rooted in 1950s Long Island, was released in October 2025.