Powerball, Mega Millions Soar To Combined $1.9B: What To Know In NJ

NEW JERSEY — Lottery fever is gripping residents of New Jersey as Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots total $1.9 billion in drawings to be held Monday and Tuesday, respectively.

The Powerball jackpot for Monday’s drawing is currently $800 million, with a cash payout of $384.8 million. The jackpot grew after no one matched the numbers in Saturday’s drawing — 6, 23, 25, 34 and 51, and red Powerball of 3.

New Jersey players must buy their Powerball tickets by 9:59 p.m. to be eligible for Monday’s drawing at 10:59 Eastern Time. Drawings are held at the same time on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

The Mega Millions jackpot for Tuesday’s drawing is the larger of the two. It is currently at $1.1 billion, with a cash value of $525.8 million. Numbers in Friday’s drawing were 3, 8, 31, 35, 44 and the gold Mega Ball of 16.

To be eligible for Tuesday’s Mega Millions drawing, New Jersey players must buy their tickets by 9:59 p.m. Drawings for this game are held at 11 p.m. Eastern Time on Mondays and Fridays.

The jackpot prizes in each game may be paid over 30 years, but most winners take the lump sum. They immediately see fewer dollars flow into their account than if they took the 30-year annuity because the federal government takes its cut off the top.

All but eight states — California, Florida, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming — also tax big lottery prizes. New Jersey takes 8 percent in taxes on lottery winnings.

The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are steep — about 1 in 292.2 million. For perspective, the odds of being struck by lightning are less than 1 in 1 million.

The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are even steeper — about 1 in 302.6 million.