One New Jersey resident’s holiday is about to get a whole lot brighter after it was revealed that they had managed to score the $1.1 billion prize being offered by Mega Millions. According to officials from the state, the prize money went unclaimed for nearly nine months.
Lottery officials stated that the original jackpot was worth $1.12 billion and that it was the fifth highest in the game’s history. It was reported by USA Today that the player, who chose to remain anonymous, will take home $537.5 million before state and federal taxes.
The outlet reported that the jackpot had been won in March 2024 but had been unclaimed until now. Reports indicated that there were 31 consecutive Mega Million drawings without a winner before the lucky ticket was sold.
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According to officials from the state, the prize money went unclaimed for nearly nine months. (
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According to the Lottery, the winning white ball numbers were 7, 11, 22, 29 and 38 with the gold Mega Ball 4 and a multiplier of 2x. Officials stated that the ticket was purchased at ShopRite Liquor #781 in Neptune Township, New Jersey.
“Congratulations to the New Jersey Lottery for selling a jackpot-winning ticket in Tuesday’s $1.128 billion Mega Millions drawing,” Gretchen Corbin, lead director of the Mega Millions Consortium said in a statement about the Mega Millions win. “We celebrate our new jackpot winner, as well as all the prizes won and dollars raised for good causes during this exciting jackpot run.”
USA Today reports that if the amount had remained unclaimed, the Mega Millions would have recouped the money. According to the outlet, states use their unclaimed lottery prizes for different purposes, but unclaimed prize money typically remains in a state’s lottery fund.
According to the Lottery, the winning white ball numbers were 7, 11, 22, 29 and 38 with the gold Mega Ball 4 and a multiplier of 2x. (
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Specifically for New Jersey, if an amount goes unclaimed the funds will be distributed to the retirement funds of their public servants. The people who would benefit from an unclaimed ticket are teachers, police officers, firefighters, and other public employees.
Ahead of another drawing that is scheduled for Christmas Eve at 11 pm, the jackpot reached an estimated $944 million, which makes it the seventh-highest jackpot in the game’s history. Should a winning ticket be selected, it will be the second ticket won on Christmas Eve, according to a Mega Millions press release. The first Christmas Eve jackpot was worth $68 million and was won in New York.
After no one won the jackpot on Friday, the grand prize for Tuesday’s drawing went up from $862 million to $944 million, according to the lottery. A jackpot winner from this Christmas Eve’s drawing could choose to receive the money in annuitized payments or take a lump sum estimated at $429.4 million.
Specifically for New Jersey, if an amount goes unclaimed the funds will be distributed to the retirement funds of their public servants. (
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The numbers from the Friday, Dec. 20 drawing were 2-20-51-56-67 Mega Ball 19 Megaplier 2x. Although no tickets matched all six numbers in Friday night’s drawing, five tickets still won $1 million each by matching the first five numbers. Those tickets were sold in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana and Pennsylvania, according to the Mega Millions website The highest Mega Millions winnings were in August 2023, when the game reached $1.602 billion.
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