Tue Dec 24 10:40:00 UTC 2024: **Nine-Month-Old Mega Millions Jackpot Claimed in New Jersey**
**Neptune Township, NJ** – A New Jersey resident has finally claimed a record-breaking Mega Millions jackpot of $1.12 billion, the fifth largest in the game’s history. The winning ticket, purchased at ShopRite Liquor #781 in Neptune Township, went unclaimed for nearly nine months after the March 26th drawing.
The anonymous winner will receive a pre-tax payout of $537.5 million. The delay in claiming the prize sparked concern as unclaimed lottery funds typically go back into state coffers. In New Jersey, these funds contribute to public employee retirement systems, including those for teachers, police officers, and firefighters.
The winning numbers were 7, 11, 22, 29, and 38, with a Mega Ball of 4 and a 2x multiplier. The jackpot win ended a streak of 31 consecutive Mega Millions drawings without a winner.
Gretchen Corbin, lead director of the Mega Millions Consortium, congratulated the New Jersey Lottery on the sale of the winning ticket and celebrated the funds raised for good causes throughout the jackpot run.
Meanwhile, the Mega Millions jackpot is currently at an estimated $944 million ahead of the Christmas Eve drawing, the seventh highest in the game’s history. This makes it a potential second Christmas Eve jackpot win; the first, worth $68 million, was won in New York. Lottery tickets can be purchased in person at various retailers or online through authorized platforms like Jackpocket in participating states.
First Piper 