Somewhere out there, a Mega Millions player is holding a ticket worth $1.13 billion.
The payout is the fifth-largest prize in the history of the lottery, according to the New York Post.
"It was not a Quick Pick. It was chosen numbers, and it was a one board ticket. One pick," said Adam Perlow with Northstar New Jersey Lottery Group, which operates the New Jersey Lottery, according to NBC.
The ticket was sold at a Saker ShopRite Liquor in Neptune Township, New Jersey, according to USA Today.
The store will get a $30,000 check from the lottery for selling the ticket.
JACKPOT: $30,000 bonus check being presented at Neptune Shoprite after someone hit the largest jackpot in New Jersey History at $1.13 Billion! #Megamillions #MonmouthCounty #HappeningNow @News12NJ pic.twitter.com/tBLcJ5KSU4
— Amanda Lee (@amandaleetv) March 27, 2024
Richard Saker, the owner of Saker ShopRite stores, said the money will help local food banks.
“We’re gonna donate those proceeds. It feels like it’s the right thing to do,” Saker said, according to NJ.com.
The payout is the largest lottery prize ever won in New Jersey, according to USA Today.
New Jersey Lottery Executive Director James Carey said that the winner, who has not yet come forward to lottery officials, should sign the ticket, stick it in a safe, tell a very few people and then get legal and financial advice.
Carey noted that in New Jersey, lottery winners can remain anonymous.
Whoever won the mammoth prize has one year to come forward to claim it.
Clerk TiYahna Bambaata said that she pulled the winning ticket out of the store’s machine, according to NJ.com.
Bambaata said she cannot recall to whom she sold the ticket.
“There was a few people coming in and out last night. I cannot remember who it was,” said Bambaata, who works part-time.
“I’m trying to go back and remember ... but I have no clue at all."
“It’s exciting. I’m happy that someone in my hometown (won),” she said.
The Post reported that the winner can either get 30 years of payments or a lump sum payment that is estimated to be $537.5 million, after taxes.
For those who struggle to resist the appeal of the lottery in spite of the astronomical odds against winning, contact the National Council on Problem Gambling or Gamblers Anonymous.
