Special To The Gazette
A Keno player in the Massachusetts State Lottery won a $30,000 cash prize after buying a ticket last Saturday (April 18) at Pimentel Liquor Market, which is located at the corner of Centre and Wyman streets in Jamaica Plain.
“One of his friends came into the store and told me that he hit Keno for $30,000, and we’re very excited for him,” said Alvin, one of the store’s owners.
Keno is a popular game in which players can select from 1 to 12 numbers and try to match the 20 numbers (out of a field of 80 numbers) that are drawn.
Though there are a few ways to win an exact prize of $30,000 in Keno, the most likely scenario is that the player purchased an 8-spot game ticket and matched all eight numbers on a $2 wager, doubling the prize of $15,000 for a $1 wager.
Alvin said it is the largest Keno prize that he could recall at the store, though there have been other big winners.
“Several years ago, we had someone win well over $200,000 in the Numbers Game,” he said. “He played four numbers and hit it exact 34 times straight, and two times for $3 across the board.”
“I would say we’re a lucky store overall,” added Alvin. “We have a lot of winners every day. In the past, we’ve had $10,000 and $20,000 winners in the scratch (instant) games. This has been a good year for our Lottery customers.”
A personable gentleman, Alvin related that Pimentel Liquor Market has been in existence since the early 1970s.
“We bought the store 25 years ago and kept the name of the original owner, who was Juan Pimentel,” he said.