Lottery ticket worth $26,281 sold in Franklin

Brick & Brew in Franklin has been selling New Jersey Lottery tickets in the downstairs bar area for about two years.

Many of the people dining in the restaurant upstairs didn’t know that. Now, they do.

A winning Fast Play ticket worth $26,281 was sold at Brick & Brew for the Dec. 30 drawing.

The jackpot winner was a regular customer, said Bill Elig, who owns the business.

The winner, who lives in Ogdensburg, did not want her name disclosed.

She bought two $5 tickets at the self-service machine and knew that one was a winner but there was something strange about the ticket, Elig said.

She asked staffers behind the bar to scan it and that showed the amount. She was shaking when they told her, he said.

The winner said she has no specific plans for the money other than paying bills. She often buys lottery tickets but the largest amount she had won previously was $25.

The store will receive a $2,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket, according to the New Jersey Lottery.

Even better than the money is the publicity, Elig said, adding that the business already has seen an increase in lottery sales.