TRENTON, N.J. — A month-long Green Ball promotion tied to the Pick-3 game added over $1.7 million in extra winnings for New Jersey Lottery players, the organization announced Wednesday.
Running from May 5 through Sunday, the Green Ball feature gave Pick-3 ticket holders added chances at winning when an extra ball was drawn following the nightly drawing. A second machine contained six white balls and one green ball. If the green ball appeared, a free second Pick-3 drawing was triggered using the same numbers as the initial play.
During the promotion period, six Green Balls were drawn, leading to six bonus drawings. Those extra chances produced 15,515 additional winning tickets totaling $1,738,120 in bonus prize payouts.
The Green Ball concept marked Pick-3’s first major promotional change in over 10 years. According to lottery officials, the structure allowed for increased player engagement without modifying the standard gameplay or odds.
A new version of the promotion is likely to return in the near future, according to the Lottery.
Background on the Lottery
The New Jersey Lottery has contributed nearly $33.7 billion to state programs since it was established in 1970. Under current law, profits from ticket sales support the public employee pension system through a 30-year agreement enacted in 2017.
Pick-3 players collected more than one million dollars in bonus prizes from a month of lucky Green Ball draws.