Mega Millions Grows To $830M In Historic Jackpot For NJ

NEW JERSEY — The jackpot in Tuesday night’s Mega Millions lottery game soared to $830 million, making it the fourth-largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history and the third-highest in the history of the game. And if a lucky New Jerseyans wins, their prize would exceed the largest lottery victory in state history by nearly $300 million.

The drawing is at 11 p.m. Tuesday. People in New Jersey must purchase their tickets by 10:45 p.m. for a chance at Tuesday's Mega Millions jackpot.

Tickets available at gas stations, convenience stores and supermarkets in states where the game is played, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Only five U.S. states — Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah — haven't authorized the Mega Millions game.

Retailers across the country reported brisk business at lottery ticket counters leading up to Tuesday’s drawing. The jackpot has been growing since April, the last time it was claimed. It was $20 million then. So far this year, Mega Millions jackpots have been won in California, New York, Minnesota and Tennessee.

Chances of winning aren’t great — 1 in 302.5 million. The odds of winning one of the smaller prizes, including the $1 million to players who match five regular numbers but miss the Mega Ball, are better, but still only 1 in 12.6 million. For perspective, the odds of being struck by lightning are less than 1 in 1 million, according to the CDC.

Robert Maury, who bought a ticket from a grocery store in Pittsburgh Monday, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that it’s more likely that he would be "struck by lightning 100 times" than win the big jackpot.

Maury described himself as an infrequent lottery player who bought the ticket as “a treat.” If he wins, he told the Post-Gazette, he’ll start a foundation and give the money to people who need it more than he does.

"It would mean a lot. I would buy a house, pay my bills, buy a car, buy another car, help my mama out, help my granny out, take care of my son," Azhia Bowen told news station WJBK in Detroit. "That's a lot of money."

Tickets cost $2 per play, and there are nine total ways to win a prize. To play, pick five numbers from 1 to 70, and one Mega Ball from 1 to 25. To have the terminal pick the numbers for you, choose Easy Pick or Quick Pick. To win the jackpot, you must match all six winning numbers in the drawing.

Winners can take an annuity — an immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments, each of which increases 5 percent in value over the previous payment — or take a one-time, lump sum payment. With an $830 million jackpot, that’s $487.9 million.

Though the jackpot stands large, the three largest lottery prizes in U.S. history dwarf it. Players from California, Florida and Tennessee shared the largest lottery jackpot in history when they won $1.586 billion Powerball prize on Jan. 13, 2016.

A single player from South Carolina won the $1.537 billion Mega Million ticket on Oct. 23, 2018, and a Michigan player claimed the same game’s $1.05 billion ticket on Jan. 22, 2021.

But if someone from New Jersey wins, they'd win the largest lottery prize in state history, when a ticket generated $533 million in 2018, according to lotto.com.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER®.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.