One ticket away from $714M as Mega Millions reaches ninth biggest jackpot
TRENTON, NJ – As ticket sales surge across the country, tonight’s Mega Millions drawing offers a staggering $714 million jackpot—ranking it as the ninth largest prize in the game’s history and setting off a wave of last-minute ticket buying.
With no grand prize winner in the past 27 draws, the jackpot has snowballed into one of the biggest pots ever seen in Mega Millions. The one-time cash option stands at $334.1 million, before taxes. It’s the first time since March that the jackpot has topped $700 million, when a Monmouth County player in New Jersey struck it big with a $1.128 billion win—the sixth largest ever.
There have already been four Mega Millions jackpots claimed in different states this year, but this latest run is quickly closing in on the game’s all-time top ten, just ahead of the $656 million prize split among three winners in 2012. The record-setting jackpot remains the $1.602 billion prize won in Florida on August 8, 2023.
While the jackpot remains elusive, smaller wins in New Jersey continue to pile up. Since game rules were revised in April to add a free random multiplier on tickets, 15 players across the state have seen their $10,000 wins multiply into even bigger payouts. One Ocean County resident took home $3 million earlier this month with a 3X multiplier, and a Bergen County ticket holder claimed $4 million in June.
Unclaimed prizes also remain a factor. In May, a Mercer County player discovered a forgotten Mega Millions ticket from January—worth $1 million—after digging through old slips.
Tonight’s Mega Millions isn’t the only big prize up for grabs in the Garden State. The Powerball jackpot has swelled to $376 million ahead of Wednesday’s draw. The Pick-6 game, fresh off a $22 million win by a Hudson County player, sits at $2.1 million. Jersey Cash 5 offers $824,000, and Cash4Life continues its daily draws with life-changing prizes of $1,000 per day or $1,000 per week for life.
In 2025, New Jersey has already seen one $7 million Cash4Life cash-out and five $1 million winners, including one lucky ticket bought Thursday at a Krauser’s in Cranford.
Since 1970, the New Jersey Lottery has contributed over $34.6 billion to state-funded programs. Under a 2017 law, current profits help support the public employee pension system through a long-term agreement.
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Key Points
- The Mega Millions jackpot stands at $714 million for Tuesday night’s drawing, with a $334.1 million cash option
- It is the ninth largest prize in Mega Millions history and the first time over $700M since March
- New Jersey players have claimed millions in multiplied prizes in recent months thanks to rule changes
