Largest Jackpot in New Jersey Lottery History

TRENTON (March 27, 2024) – New Jersey Lottery Executive Director James Carey announced that the only Mega Million jackpot winning ticket from the Tuesday, March 26, drawing was sold in New Jersey, winning the $1.13 billion jackpot prize. The cash value is $537.5 million. This is the largest jackpot ever won in New Jersey and the fifth largest Mega Millions jackpot. The winning ticket was sold at ShopRite Liquor #781, 2200 Route 66, Neptune Township in Monmouth County. That retailer will receive a $30,000 bonus commission for selling the winning ticket.

“Congratulations to the winner of this life changing jackpot! We encourage the winner to immediately sign the back of the ticket, make a copy of both sides and put it in a safe place. The Lottery has a Winner’s Guide on our website at NJLottery.com and we encourage the winner to read it before reaching out to Lottery officials at 1-800-222-0996 to file a claim for this jackpot prize,” Carey said.

In addition to the jackpot, there were 10 New Jersey Lottery tickets sold that matched four of the five white balls drawn winning the $10,000 third-tier prize. Two of those tickets were sold with the Megaplier multiplier, multiplying those tickets to $20,000. Those tickets were sold at the following locations:

$20,000:

• Essex County: Krauszer’s Food Store, 357 Franklin Ave., Belleville;
• Ocean County: Princeton Avenue Deli & Dairy, 300 Princeton Ave., Brick;

$10,000:

• Atlantic County: Collins Convenience Store, 209 East Collins Rd., Galloway;
• Cumberland County: Carmel Discount Liquor, 600 West Sherman Ave., Millville;
• Hudson County: New Hilltop Exxon, 3100 Kennedy Blvd., Union City;
• Mercer County: Acme #2914, 4400 South Broad St., Yardville;
• Middlesex County: Krauszer’s, 191 Old Bridge Turnpike, East Brunswick;
• Monmouth County: R&R Convenience Store, 25-1 Broad St., Freehold;
• Ocean County: ShopRite #604, 2 Route 37 West, Toms River; and,
• Somerset County: Lucky Spot Convenience Store, 100 North Gaston Ave., Somerville.

The winning numbers for the Tuesday, March 26, drawing were: 07, 11, 22, 29 and 38. The Gold Mega Ball number was 04. The Multiplier number was 02. The Mega Millions jackpot will reset for the next drawing to be held Friday, March 29 at 10:59 pm.

There were also 190,508 New Jersey players who took home an estimated $806,876 in prizes ranging from $2 to $400.

New Jersey is not a stranger to large jackpots. The largest Mega Millions jackpot won in New Jersey is from March 2018 with an annuity value of $533 million. This current win is New Jersey’s 28th Mega Millions jackpot. The largest Powerball jackpot won in New Jersey is from May 2016 with an annuity value of $429.6 million.

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 $600.00 or more must still provide their identity to Lottery officials in order to claim a prize. The New Jersey Lottery is still required by law to withhold state and federal taxes from certain prizes awarded. The New Jersey Lottery also shares the identity of winners with other State agencies, and claims are reviewed for collection of unpaid obligations such as child support, student loan arrearages, and back taxes.

This is the first time the Mega Millions jackpot has been won in 2024. It was hit 10 times in 2023. The last Mega Millions jackpot was won on December 8, for $394 million annuity ($188.6 million cash) and was shared by two tickets in California.

Tuesday’s jackpot ranks as the 5th largest prize in Mega Millions history. Also, Tuesday’s jackpot ranks as the 8th overall largest jackpot in U.S. lottery history.

The jackpot resets to $20 million for the next drawing to be held on Friday, March 29, at 11:00 pm. All New Jersey Lottery Mega Millions tickets must be purchased before 10:45 pm to participate in the drawing. Mega Millions tickets cost just two dollars; by adding the Megaplier option for an extra dollar per play, players can increase their non-jackpot winnings up to five times. Mega Millions tickets are sold in 46 participating jurisdictions. Drawings are held on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Players are reminded that Lottery games are for fun and entertainment – it only takes one ticket to get in the game. The Lottery promotes responsible play through its cooperation with the Council on Compulsive Gambling of NJ and by promoting the Council’s helpline phone number, 1-800-GAMBLER, on all Lottery marketing and advertising materials.