The anticipation is over as the drought of Mega Millions wins has come to an end.
After more than 15 weeks without a win, the record-breaking $1.128 billion prize will go to one New Jersey winner, according to a Mega Millions press release. The enormous prize was the fifth-largest jackpot in the history of the game.
The numbers drawn on Tuesday night were 7, 11, 22, 29, and 38, plus the gold Mega Ball 4.
The ticket was sold at a ShopRite Liquor store in Neptune Township, New Jersey. The shop owner will receive a $30,000 bonus check for selling the winning ticket.
Before Tuesday, there had not been a Mega Millions winner since December 8, when two ticket-holders from California guessed the correct numbers, splitting $394 million.
A total of 3,693,854 winning tickets were drawn Tuesday night, including the single jackpot winner. Thirteen people across the country won prizes ranging from $1 million to $2 million.
This isn’t the first time the New Jersey Lottery has produced a lucky winner, as it has now seen 24 Mega Millions jackpot winners over the years. Before Tuesday night, the most recent Mega Millions jackpot won in New Jersey was in 2020.
While rules of anonymity vary depending on the state, the New Jersey Lottery allows winners to remain anonymous indefinitely. The winnings can be claimed up to one year after the drawing.
The jackpot for the next drawing on Friday, March 29, has reset to a starting value of $20 million. Tickets are $2, and drawings occur every Tuesday and Friday. The odds of winning any Mega Millions prize are 1 and 24, and the odds of winning the ultimate jackpot are a whopping 1 in 302,575,350.
Although the Mega Millions prize has been claimed, the Powerball jackpot is still on the rise. The lottery, which has yet to be won since New Year’s Day, has now surged to $865 million available for Wednesday’s upcoming drawing, according to a statement by Powerball. This makes the Powerball jackpot the fifth-largest prize in the history of the game.
Powerball tickets are $2 per play, and drawings are every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
