New Jerseyans win thousands as Mega Millions hits $1.25 billion

New Jerseyans win thousands as Mega Millions hits .25 billion

Seven New Jersey lottery players won $10,000 or more in Tuesday’s Mega Millions drawing, as the billion-dollar jackpot continues to grow.

The New Jersey Lottery announced that seven tickets, including two in Bergen County, matched four of the five white balls and the Mega Ball to win third-tier $10,000 prizes. Two of those tickets had the Megaplier, making those tickets worth $40,000.

Here is a look at where the tickets were sold:

$40,000 tickets

Wawa on Route 73 in Mount Laurel (Burlington County)
Lang’s Liquors on Long Beach Boulevard in Ship Bottom (Ocean County)

$10,000 tickets

U & B Mini Market on Palisade Avenue in Garfield (Bergen County)
7-Eleven on Cedar Lane in Teaneck (Bergen County)
QuickChek on Sparta Avenue in Sparta (Sussex County)
TE-AMO on Paterson Plank Road in Secaucus (Hudson County)
ShopRite on Convery Boulevard in Perth Amboy (Middlesex County)

In addition, 165 New Jerseyans matched four of the five white balls to win $500 prizes with 18 of those tickets having the Megaplier option to win $2,000.

Friday, Aug. 4 jackpot hits $1.25 billion

Meanwhile, the Mega Millions jackpot will increase to an estimated $1.25 billion for Friday night’s drawing, making it the fourth largest Mega Millions and sixth largest U.S. lottery jackpot ever (see charts below).

The jackpot was last won on April 18 when someone in East Syracuse, New York, won a $20 million jackpot and was also won on April 14 when a lottery player in Ozone Park, New York, won a $483 million jackpot.

Tuesday, Aug. 1 winning Mega Millions numbers

The winning numbers drawn on Tuesday, Aug. 1 were: 8, 24, 30, 45, and 61 with Mega Ball: 12. The Megaplier was 4.

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When is next Mega Millions drawing?

Mega Millions drawings are held every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m.

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How do I play Mega Millions?

The cost is $2 per ticket, but you can add the Megaplier for $1, which will increase the amount of your potential prize up to five times the original prize (except for the jackpot).

Each player selects five numbers from 1 to 70 for the white balls and one number from 1 to 25 for the Mega Ball. However, you can also have the lottery machine generate a random Quick Pick for you. You don’t need to be a U.S. citizen or a resident of a particular state where you purchase your ticket.

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How many balls do I need to match for Mega Millions prize?

You can win $2 for matching just one – the Mega Ball. Short of the jackpot, you can win up to $1 million for matching all five white balls (except in California).

You can check all the prize payouts on the Mega Millions site here.

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Where can I play Mega Millions?

You can play the game in 45 states plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The states not offering Mega Millions are: Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah.

Many grocery stores, gas stations and convenience stores sell lottery tickets. Some states allow Mega Millions tickets to be purchased online, but beware of scam websites. Check with your state lottery for more details.

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What is deadline for buying Mega Millions tickets?

The deadline for purchasing a Mega Millions ticket varies by state so don’t wait until the last minute. It can be 15 minutes to an hour or more before the actual drawing. For some third-party lottery apps, the deadline can be closer to two hours before the drawing. For example, Jackpocket in New Jersey has a deadline of 9:15 p.m. for the 11 p.m. ET drawing.

Click here to check the deadline for where you live.