One lucky ticket bought in New Jersey won the fifth-largest jackpot in Mega Millions history on Tuesday night, as the grand prize was an estimated $1.13 billion.
The winning numbers were 7-11-22-29-38. The Mega Ball number was 4 and the Megaplier was 2X.
Winning ticket sold in New Jersey
Update 12:44 a.m. EDT March 27: A single ticket bought in New Jersey was a winner in Tuesday’s Mega Million drawing. It was the first winner in the promotion since Dec. 8, a drought of 30 consecutive drawings.
The lucky ticket holder can choose between the jackpot being paid out over 30 years or receive an estimated $537.5 million lump sum payment.
The odds of hitting the jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350, according to lottery officials.
Mega Millions now resets, with Friday’s drawing worth an estimated $20 million.
According to the New Jersey Lottery, the winning ticket is the largest jackpot ever won in the Garden State. The previous record was a $533 Mega Millions winner. That was won by Richard Wahl, a 47-year-old production manager at AAK Foodservice from Vernon, who stepped forward in April 2018 to claim the prize. according to NorthJersey.com.
There is still a big jackpot floating around, as Wednesday’s Powerball grand prize is for an estimated $865 million.
[ Powerball: No winner again; jackpot rises to $865 million ]
There were numerous second-tier winners in the Mega Millions drawing on Tuesday.
One ticket sold in New York matched five numbers and the Megaplier, giving the winner a $2 million payday.
There were 12 tickets that matched five numbers and were worth $1 million apiece.
Two each were sold in Florida, Georgia and New York. Solo tickets were sold in California, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.
The largest Mega Millions jackpot was sold in August 2023 to a winner at a Publix supermarket in Neptune Beach, Florida. A limited liability company, Saltines Holdings, LLC, chose to receive its prize as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $794,248,882. The winning ticket was a quick-pick selection.
Top 10 Mega Millions jackpots
- 1. $1.602 billion – Aug. 8, 2023, one ticket in Florida.
- 2. $1.537 billion – Oct. 23, 2018, one ticket in South Carolina.
- 3. $1.348 billion – Jan. 13, 2023, one ticket in Maine.
- 4. $1.337 billion – July 29, 2022, one ticket in Illinois.
- 5. $1.13 billion – March 26, 2024, one ticket in New Jersey.
- 6. $1.050 billion – Jan. 22, 2021, one ticket in Michigan.
- 7. $656 million – March 30, 2012, split between three tickets in Kansas, Illinois and Maryland.
- 8. $648 million – Dec. 17, 2023, split between two winning tickets in California and Georgia.
- 9. $543 million – July 24, 2018, one ticket in California.
- 10. $536 million – July 8, 2016, one ticket in Indiana.
Original report: The last jackpot was won on Dec. 8, with two tickets in California splitting $395 million.
Tickets are sold in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Tickets are $2 each in most jurisdictions, but players can add the Megaplier for an additional $1 to multiply their non-jackpot prizes.
Drawings are conducted at 11 p.m. EDT on Tuesdays and Fridays.
In Pennsylvania, nine players matched four of five numbers and the Mega Ball to win $10,000.