Months after a Mega Millions ticket worth $1.13 billion was sold in New Jersey, the state lottery says a winner has come forward to claim one of the biggest prizes in the game's history.
"The ticket was drawn at a Monmouth County ShopRite in Neptune Township and matched the winning numbers of 07, 11, 22, 29 and 38 as well as the Gold Mega Ball number 04 and the multiplier number of 02," in the March 26, 2024, draw, the New Jersey lottery said on Dec. 23, 2024.
The nearly $1.3 billion jackpot was the fifth highest in nearly 30 years of Mega Millions, state lottery officials said. The winner had one year to claim the massive prize.
4 Things to Do If You Win the Lottery
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How much money will the New Jersey winner actually get? 💰
Most winners choose a cash payout, which in this case was $537.5 million, before taxes. New Jersey lottery officials said this winner chose the lump sum.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states, plus the Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Lottery jackpots grow so large because the odds of winning are so small. For Mega Millions, players have a 1 in 302.6 million chance of taking home the top prize.
If you or someone you know has a gambling addiction, please call the National Council on Problem Gambling at 1-800-522-4700 to speak to a counselor. Help is also available via an online peer support forum at www.gamtalk.org, and additional resources can be found at NCPG website.
Why will we likely never know the identity of the NJ Mega Millions winner?
We will let the Garden State's lottery explain why the winner was able to come forward, but not be named:
"The New Jersey player values privacy and has chosen to remain anonymous," the NJ lottery said. "A 2020 New Jersey law allows lottery winners to remain anonymous indefinitely, and the identity of winners will not be included in materials available to public inspection under the State’s Open Public Records Act. Players claiming Lottery prizes worth at least $600 must still provide their identity to Lottery officials to claim a prize."
Feeling lucky?
The Dec. 24, 2024, Mega Millions draw stands at $970 million as of Monday afternoon. That could buy a lot of Christmas gifts.
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