Ronkonkoma man suddenly popular after win of almost $340,000 at Jake's 58 casino

Salvatore Neglia of Ronkonkoma has become the most popular guy in his neighborhood after winning nearly $340,000 last week on a $3 slot machine bet at Jake's 58 Casino Hotel in Islandia.

Neglia, a retired custodian in the Smithtown school district, joked that he’s already received two marriage proposals from close friends, along with more than a few solicitations by online con artists, since winning the progressive jackpot on Wednesday afternoon.

"It hasn't really settled in yet," Neglia, 72, said after receiving a ceremonial oversized check Monday at the casino. "I really hope the money doesn't change me. But it may change me a little."

On June 21, Neglia, a regular at Jake's, was pumping $3 bets into his favorite slot machine — modeled on the '90s hit show "Friends" — and was already down $150 when he heard a group of patrons behind him screaming with excitement.

It took Neglia a few moments to realize that the faces of nine "Friends" characters were lined up straight across the machine, indicating that he'd hit the six-year progressive. The prize increases each time the game, or in this case, four "Friends" machines that are linked together, are played but the jackpot is not won.

Neglia's winnings: a cool $339,014, or 113,000 times his original bet.

Daniel Freid,  an assistant general manager at Jake's, said the "Friends" slot machines have not paid out the jackpot since the casino opened in 2017, helping to build the high payoff.

"It's gonna hit eventually," Freid said of the machines, declining to provide the probability of the average patron ever winning a progressive jackpot. "You've just got to get the right winning ticket."

Phil Boyle, president and chief executive of Suffolk County Off Track Betting Corp, which operates the video lottery parlor, said, "It's exciting to having a jackpot this large. We love it when our players win."

Neglia, a regular at the Suffolk slots parlor, has never been married and has no children, so the winnings are all his to enjoy.

He plans to pay off some bills and install new siding and wood flooring on his home. Beyond that, he's making a safe bet with the rest of his winnings, investing it in money market accounts where the funds can accrue each year.

"It's in the bank," he said of the winnings. "They give me an allowance and then take care of the rest. It's funny. People that know me have said, 'If I had it, I'd be throwing it away.' "

In September of 2020, a Hampton Bays man took home $1.3 million on a "Wheel of Fortune" slot machine at Jake's.

And sometime soon that total is likely to be surpassed as a current Jake's slot machine is set to pay out a $1.7 million progressive jackpot and counting for one lucky patron.

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.