Sims Market, Walbert Avenue, South Whitehall Township, was recently recognized by the Pennsylvania Lottery headquarters for selling a July 19 winning Cash 5 lottery ticket worth $1,631,007.50 to one lucky customer.

Raj Patel, co-owner of Sims Market, said he learned his store sold the winning lottery ticket when he received a phone call from lottery headquarters around 9 a.m. the following notifying him a Cash 5 winning ticket was sold at his store.

Patel said this is not the first time his store has sold a winning lottery ticket.

"We have had multiple winners before, such as $300,000; $30,000 and $50,000 as well as countless $1,000 winners, but nothing of this magnitude," he said. "The $1.6 million winning ticket is the most I have seen."

The winner of the $1.6 million, who aksed not to be identified, has come forward with the winning ticket and claimed his winnings, Patel said.

Patel said his store was awarded $10,000 for selling the winning ticket.

"Because this store has received the money as a bonus for selling the winning ticket, I have decided to share it with the employees," he said.

Patel said he and his wife, Nina, have owned Sims Market for the past 18 years and the store has been in South Whitehall Township for more than 45 years.

According to a computer slip from the Pennsylvania Lottery congratulating Sims on selling the winning ticket, this was the second largest Cash 5 jackpot awarded to a single ticket and the seventh largest Cash 5 jackpot on record.