New Jersey Ticket Wins $202 Million Mega Millions Jackpot
Wednesday February 12th 2020A single ticket in New Jersey won the first Mega Millions jackpot of the year last night, an estimated $202 million with a cash option of $142.2 million. Quick Stop Food Store on Inman Ave. in Edison, Middlesex County, sold the ticket.
The ticket matched all six winning numbers in the Tuesday, February 11 draw: 4, 6, 32, 52, 64 and Mega Ball 6.
Another big winner in Tuesday's draw was a $1 million prize hit in West Virginia. That ticket matched all five white balls to win the "Match 5" second prize.
There were a total of 689,521 winners in Tuesday's draw, so be sure to check your tickets. 14 tickets won $10,000 each for matching four white balls plus the Mega Ball. Two of those actually doubled their prize and are worth $20,000 each because players added the Megaplier option and Tuesday's Megaplier number was 2X.
One of the $10,000 tickets was also sold in New Jersey. The ticket was purchased in Elizabeth at the Dollar Plus store in Color Plaza on Elmora Ave.
The last Mega Millions jackpot win was on December 17, 2019, when a single ticket in Ohio won the $375 million top prize. The winner chose to remain anonymous by claiming via The Great Hope Trust.
Since then, there have been over 7.8 million winning tickets, including the jackpot winner and 17 tickets worth $1 million or above.
Winner Has New Option to Stay Anonymous
The lucky New Jersey ticket holder will have the option to remain anonymous under a law the state just passed in January.
Prior to the passage of the new law, the New Jersey Lottery would release a winner's name, town, and county, and requests for the information could also be made under the Open Public Records Act.
New Jersey joined a growing number of states that allow winners to keep their identities private.
Third Mega Millions Jackpot Win in Jersey in 3 Years
This is New Jersey's third Mega Millions jackpot win in as many years. Maybe this isn't surprising, because Jersey is firmly entrenched as one of the top 10 states that love the lottery. Garden State residents are the sixth-biggest spenders on lottery tickets in the country, with a yearly spend per adult of $434.98, well above the U.S. average of $288.06. 12 percent of Jersey residents play the lottery weekly.
The state's biggest lottery winner is Richard Wahl. The Vernon resident won the $533 million Mega Millions jackpot on March 30, 2018. He chose the cash option of $324.6 million and stated his intention to do charitable work. In 2019 he bought a hurricane-hit resort in Florida.
Another big winner in 2018 was park ranger Judith Smith, who won a $29.5 million New Jersey Lotto jackpot just days after she lost her income when she was furloughed by the government.
2019 saw Alpha resident Michael Weirsky win a $273 million Mega Millions jackpot on March 1. Incredibly, he almost lost his prize after he left the ticket on the store counter.
Jackpot Resets for Next Drawing on Friday
The next Mega Millions drawing is Friday, February 14, when the jackpot returns to its starting value, $40 million ($28.1 million cash).
If you just can't wait that long, tonight's Powerball drawing boasts a $70 million jackpot.
Get your tickets now and this Valentine's Day could be the sweetest ever!
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