$1.13 Billion Mega Millions Jackpot Goes to New Jersey Player
The first Mega Millions jackpot of 2024 was won last night by a lucky player from New Jersey. The last time the Mega Millions grand prize went to the Garden State was four years ago.
After 31 drawings without a jackpot winner, the Mega Millions first-tier prize has been growing to an impressive amount of $1.13 billion, with a cash option of $537.5 million. The jackpot was last won on December 8, 2023 when two tickets purchased in California, at the same gas station, matched all winning numbers.
The draw that made the rollovers come to an end was held on March 26, 2024. With over 3.6 million winning tickets, one of them matched the numbers which were drawn - 7, 11, 22, 29 and 39, with the Mega Ball 4, and the Megaplier number 2X. The second-tier prize, which is won by matching the five white balls, had 13 winning entries. One of the prizes had an amount of $2 million because the player added Megaplier to the ticket they purchased in New York. The remaining 12 tickets were sold in California, Colorado, Florida (2), Georgia (2), Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York (2) and Ohio. Check out last night’s prize breakdown to see the numbers of winners in the other categories as well.
The Georgia Lottery President and CEO Gretchen Corbin, lead director of the Mega Millions Consortium, said: “Congratulations to the New Jersey Lottery for selling a jackpot-winning ticket in Tuesday’s $1.13 billion Mega Millions drawing.”
She also shared: “We celebrate our new jackpot winner, as well as all the prizes won and dollars raised for good causes during this exciting jackpot run.”
This is the 25th time when the Mega Millions grand prize goes to New Jersey. The Garden State is currently the third-luckiest place where the jackpot was won, behind New York with 44 wins (18.1%) and California with 38 wins (15.6%). This is due to a bigger population in those states, which means more tickets sold, and therefore more chances to win. The winner can claim their prize within one year from the drawing date, and they have the possibility to remain anonymous.
Although the Mega Millions has considerably lowered its amount back to $20 million, the $865 million Powerball jackpot is still up for grabs. Mega Millions draws take place on Tuesdays and Fridays, and the Powerball draws are held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. After purchasing your tickets in-store or online in the states that allow it, wait for the numbers to be drawn, then check your results to find out if you are a winner.
Published: Wednesday, March 27, 2024