Powerball madness explodes as Jersey players cash in million dollar wins
TRENTON, N.J. — What started as an ordinary Powerball drawing turned into a cash windfall across New Jersey after 18 players matched all five white balls in the April 29 drawing, triggering a rush of million-dollar claims, surprise reactions and life-changing plans from winners scattered across the state.
While jackpot-winning tickets sold in Indiana and Kansas split the $143.4 million grand prize, the April 29 drawing also produced an unusual surge of second-tier winners nationwide. A total of 89 tickets matched the five white balls without hitting the Powerball, with New Jersey accounting for 18 of those tickets alone.
Four of the New Jersey winners added the Power Play option to their tickets, doubling their prizes from $1 million to $2 million.
The New Jersey Lottery said 14 of the 18 winners have already come forward to claim their prizes. Winners have up to one year from the date of the drawing to collect their money.
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Several winners shared stories with lottery officials after discovering their tickets were worth far more than they initially believed.
One player thought his ticket had won only a few hundred dollars before learning it was actually worth $1 million. He then mistakenly believed he would have to split the prize with the other nationwide winners, reducing his payout to roughly $10,000, before lottery officials clarified that each winning ticket receives the full prize amount.
Another winner arrived expecting to collect $1 million before discovering she had purchased the Power Play option, automatically doubling her payout to $2 million.
Lottery officials said many of the winners selected their numbers by simply playing straight down the line on their play slips.
Winners reported plans ranging from buying homes and paying off debt to covering medical expenses and accelerating retirement plans. One player rented a vehicle just to travel to lottery headquarters and file his claim, later saying he planned to use his winnings to buy a car of his own.
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Another winner had already experienced a major lottery payday earlier this year after holding one of two winning tickets in a Jersey Cash 5 jackpot split.
The New Jersey Lottery also reminded players that a separate $5.9 million Pick-6 jackpot ticket purchased for the May 22, 2025 drawing remains unclaimed. That ticket is set to expire on May 22.
Lottery officials described the past week as one of the busiest claim periods in recent memory as winners from across New Jersey continued arriving to collect their prizes. <hr style=”border:2pt solid #000; width:100%;”>
Key Points
- 18 New Jersey players won at least $1 million in the April 29 Powerball drawing
- Four winners doubled their prizes to $2 million with Power Play
- A separate $5.9 million New Jersey Pick-6 jackpot remains unclaimed before its May 22 expiration
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