New Jersey

How to get a free Mega Millions ticket in New Jersey

Published

12 months ago

December 31, 2024

How to get a free Mega Millions ticket in New Jersey

The Mega Millions $1.269 billion jackpot was won in Northern California on Friday and now the New Jersey Lottery is running “The Jackpot Was Hit!” promotion where Jersey players can get a free lottery ticket.

Every time the Mega Millions jackpot is won, the New Jersey Lottery offers players a free Mega Millions ticket when they buy three. The promotion runs for seven days.

How can you get a free Mega Millions?

The New Jersey Lottery rules state that a lottery player must buy “EXACTLY three Mega Millions plays on a single ticket” and then will receive a free $2 Mega Millions Quick Pick ticket.

The promotion began on Saturday and will run until Friday, Jan. 3.

The Mega Millions jackpot is an estimated $20 million for Tuesday night’s drawing.

Players can still purchase the Megaplier on their three tickets, but “it does not count towards the qualifying purchase.” So, you still need to purchase three tickets total.

The free ticket does not include the Megaplier.

“The Jackpot Was Hit!” promotion also is run after the Powerball or NJ Lottery’s Pick-6 jackpots are hit.

When is next Mega Millions drawing?

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

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.

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

You can win $2 for the 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.

Where is the Mega Millions available?

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.

Where can you buy lottery tickets?  

Tickets can be purchased in-person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.

You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Washington D.C. and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.

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.

What are the Top 10 Mega Millions jackpots?

Here are the Top 10 Mega Millions jackpots ever:

$1.602 billion, Aug. 8, 2023: Won in Florida
$1.537 billion, Oct. 23, 2018: Won in South Carolina
$1.348 billion, Jan. 13, 2023: Won in Maine
$1.337 billion, July 29, 2022: Won in Illinois
$1.269 billion, Dec. 27, 2024: Won in California
$1.128 billion, March 26, 2024: Won in New Jersey
$1.05 billion, Jan. 22, 2021: Won in Michigan
$810 million, Sept. 10, 2024: Won in Texas
$656 million, March 30, 2012: Three winners in Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
$648 million, Dec. 17, 2013: Two winners in California, Georgia

What was largest U.S. lottery jackpot ever?

Here’s a look at the top jackpots won in the United States, between the Powerball and the Mega Millions lotteries:

$2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 7, 2022: Won in California
$1.765 billion, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023: Won in California
$1.602 billion, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023: Won in Florida
$1.586 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016: Three winners in California, Florida, Tennessee
$1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018: Won in South Carolina
$1.348 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2022: Won in Maine
$1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022: Won in Illinois
$1.326 billion, Powerball, April 6, 2024: Won in Oregon
$1.269 billion, Mega Millions, Dec. 27, 2024: Won in California
$1.128 billion, Mega Millions, March 26, 2024: Won in New Jersey
$1.08 billion, Powerball, July 19, 2023: Won in California
$1.05 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021: Won in Michigan
$842.4 million, Powerball, Jan. 1, 2024: Won in Michigan
$810 million, Mega Millions, Sept. 10, 2024: Won in Texas
$768.4 million, Powerball, March 27, 2019: Won in Wisconsin
$758.7 million, Powerball, Aug. 23, 2017: Won in Massachusetts
$754.6 million, Powerball: Feb. 6, 2023: Won in Washington
$731.1 million,, Powerball, Jan. 20, 2021: Won in Maryland
$699.8 million, Powerball, Oct. 4, 2021: Won in California
$687.8 million, Powerball, Oct. 27, 2018: Two winners in Iowa, New York

Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. Must be 18+, 21+ in AZ and 19+ in NE. Not affiliated with any State Lottery. Gambling Problem? Call 1-877-8-HOPE-NY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY); 1-800-327-5050 (MA); 1-877-MYLIMIT (OR); 1-800-GAMBLER (all others). Visit jackpocket.com/tos for full terms and conditions.

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New Jersey

White Christmas in the Philadelphia region this year? Cecily Tynan breaks down our chances

Published

8 hours ago

December 19, 2025

Press Room

White Christmas in the Philadelphia region this year? Cecily Tynan breaks down our chances

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Is there anything more magical than waking up on Christmas morning to a fresh blanket of white outside?

Well, if you’re dreaming of a white Christmas in the Philadelphia region, keep dreaming. Our chances are really low.

By definition, a white Christmas is defined as having at least an inch of snow on the ground.

But since 1950, we’ve only had eight of those in Philadelphia, the latest in 2009, 1998 and 1995.

Statistically, the chance of a white Christmas in the Poconos is 40%. But then it really drops as you head to the south — Lehigh Valley at 90%, Trenton 12%, Philadelphia, Wilmington, and the Jersey Shore are all less than 10%.

And this year, it’s even less than that because temperatures will be at or above average from Christmas Eve through the 28th.

So Cecily’s official forecast for Christmas: it’s not white, it’s mostly cloudy, seasonable highs in the mid to upper 40s.

There’s always next year!

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New Jersey

Future Home to Paramount, 1888 Studios in Bayonne Breaks Ground | Jersey Digs

Published

20 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

Future Home to Paramount, 1888 Studios in Bayonne Breaks Ground | Jersey Digs

Construction has officially begun at 1888 Studios, which will revitalize 58 acres of land near the Bayonne Bridge. Image courtesy Choose New Jersey.

A large film production studio in New Jersey is officially underway as construction has begun to revitalize 58 acres of land near the Bayonne Bridge.

Public officials and film industry executives took part in a groundbreaking ceremony for 1888 Studios, a motion picture and television production complex that will rise at the foot of Avenue A in Bayonne. The event took place inside a tent on the studio construction site, which had been a Texaco refinery that closed in the 1980’s.

Jersey Digs was the first outlet to report on the studio plan back in 2022. Bayonne passed a rezoning plan in 2020 for the land, which overlooks Staten Island and the Kill Van Kull.

1888 Studios Bayonne 7 — The full plan for 1888 Studios. Image courtesy of Gensler.

Designed by San Francisco-based firm Gensler, 1888 Studios will consist of a mix of studio sound stage buildings complemented by attached office structures. The complex will include a post-production office and several mill buildings for stages to be constructed and stored.

The new facility will span 23 soundstages and more than one million square feet. The construction phase is expected to produce 2,300 union jobs and when the facility is complete and operational, it is expected to produce 2,000 union jobs.

1888 Studios Bayonne 8 — Rendering of the studio complex. Image courtesy of Gensler.

Arpad Busson, the President of the 1888 Studios, said during the ceremony that the production complex “will reshape the city for generations to come” and would make Bayonne “a global connector.” Film powerhouse Paramount signed a 10-year agreement back in October to be the facility’s primary tenant.

Other aspects of the plan for 1888 Studios include a lighting and grip building, a central utility plant, a utility yard, a trash and recycling area, and a facilities yard to support the studio use, along with surface parking. Four subterranean parking structures would be built on the site, providing a total of 2,127 parking spaces.

1888 Studios Bayonne 6 — 1888 Studios. Image courtesy of Gensler.

Paramount’s Global Operations executive Jose Turkienicz attended the groundbreaking and called the studio complex “a major step forward” and a source of “creative momentum.” A former New Jersey resident, Turkienicz thanked the state’s public officials for supporting tax credit programs for the film industry in the Garden State.

Outgoing Governor Phil Murphy said that New Jersey has an “innovation economy,” which includes film and digital industries. He noted that New Jersey gets back $7 for each $1 invested in the film industry and lauded the state’s Film Ready program that prepares communities for the movie and television business.

Among the celebrities at the ceremony were model and businesswoman Elle Macpherson; Emmy Award-winning actress Tammy Blanchard, a Bayonne resident; Mark Lipsky, executive producer of such Eddie Murphy films as The Nutty Professor, Beverly Hills Cop II, and Coming to America; and actor and executive Paul DeAngelo, a Bayonne resident.

1888 Studios is one of three major film production facilities under construction in New Jersey, with Lionsgate breaking ground recently on a studio in Newark and Netflix building another facility at Fort Monmouth.

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