Mega Millions jackpot winner steps forward in NJ to claim prize – NBC New York

On By Littum

There’s no time like the holidays, right?

Nine months after winning the fifth-largest jackpot in Mega Millions history, the lone winner has submitted the $1.128 billion ticket to begin the process of collecting the prize.

The ticket was drawn at a Monmouth County ShopRite in Neptune Township and matched the winning numbers 07, 11, 22, 29 and 38 as well as Gold Mega Ball number 04 and multiplier number 02 on March 26.

The New Jersey player has chosen to remain anonymous, the New Jersey Lottery said. A 2020 state law allows lottery winners to remain anonymous indefinitely, and winners’ identities will not be included in materials available for public inspection under the state’s Open Public Records Act. Players claiming Lottery prizes worth at least $600 must still disclose their identity to Lottery officials in order to claim a prize.

Mega Millions is a lottery game that costs $2 per spin. game where players pick five numbers from 1 to 70 and one Mega Ball gold number from 1 to 25. If a player doesn’t want to pick the number, they can do a quick pick where the machine will randomly pick their numbers.

To win the jackpot, a player must match all six numbers, including the Mega Ball.

Here’s what you need to know about the next drawing:

When do the Mega Millions drawings take place? Here are the Mega Millions drawing days

Mega Millions Drawings take place every week on Tuesdays and Fridays.

What time are the Mega Millions drawings?

Mega Millions drawings take place at 11pm Eastern, which is 22.00 Central, at 21.00 Mountain and at 8:00 PM Pacific Time.

What days are Powerball drawings?

Powerball drawings take place on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 22:59

When is the next Mega Millions drawing?

The next Mega Millions drawing will be held on Tuesday, December 24 at 11pm ET/8pm PT.

What is the Mega Millions jackpot for Tuesday’s drawing?

The jackpot for Friday’s drawing is currently estimated at $970 million with a cash option of $439.9 million.

If won at $970 million, it would be the largest prize ever won in December and the seventh largest in the game’s history. according to Mega Millions.

How much is a Mega Millions ticket?

Mega Millions tickets currently cost $2 to play in 2024.

Starting in April, Mega Millions tickets will jump from $2 to $5, but the lottery said the price increase will lead to bigger prizes.

When was the last Mega Millions jackpot won?

The last time a player won the Mega Millions jackpot was on 10 Septemberwhen the jackpot was 800 million dollars.

The winning ticket was sold in Texas. It was won by Sol Living Trust in Sugar Land, Texas.

Before that, a $552 million jackpot was won on June 4 in Illinois, and a $1.128 billion jackpot was won in New Jersey in Neptune Township on March 26.

Attorney Andrew Stoltmann has represented 12 lottery winners, many of whom lost all their winnings due to bad investments, reckless spending and greedy relatives. “Unfortunately, the people who win the lottery think at that point the journey is over. And what they don’t realize is that the journey is really just beginning,” says Chicago-based Stoltmann.

Top Mega Millions jackpots in history

The best Mega Millions jackpots in history are:

  • $1.602 billion – 8/8/2023 – 1 Florida winning ticket
  • $1.537 billion – 10/23/2018 – 1 winning ticket in South Carolina
  • $1.348 billion – 1/13/2023 – 1 winning ticket in Maine
  • $1.337 billion – 7/29/2022 – 1 winning ticket in Illinois
  • $1.128 billion – 3/26/2024 – 1 New Jersey winning ticket
  • $1.050 billion – 1/22/2021 – 1 winning ticket in Michigan
  • $862 million – 12/20/2024 – set for Friday’s draw, number is an estimate
  • $810 million – 9/10/2024 – 1 winning ticket in Texas
  • $656 million – 3/30/2012 – 3 winning tickets in Illinois, Kansas and Maryland
  • $648 million – 12/17/2013 – 2 winning tickets in California and Georgia

If you or someone you know has a gambling addiction, please call the National Council for Gambling Problems on 1-800-522-4700 to talk to a counselor. Help is also available via an online peer support forum at www.gamtalk.organd additional resources can be found at NCPG website.