UPDATE: N.J. store that sold $1.13B Mega Millions winning ticket revealed by lottery officials
The holder of a Mega Millions ticket sold in New Jersey worth $1.13 billion is out there somewhere.
The location of the sale will be revealed Wednesday by New Jersey lottery officials. But will we ever find out the identity of the state’s newest billionaire?
That’s pretty unlikely. Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law more than four years ago allowing lottery winners to remain anonymous in New Jersey.
So the days of the traditional news conference, oversized check and publicity that goes with a big win are now a thing of the past. On the flip side, winners have an additional layer of protection in place from scammers and long-lost family members.
New Jersey is one of 18 states where lottery winners can remain anonymous for the largest lottery prizes, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association. Delaware winners can also remain anonymous, but lottery players in New York and Pennsylvania can not.
Former Gov. Chris Christie vetoed legislation during his tenure that would have allowed winners to stay anonymous for a year, saying it could “undermine the transparency that provides taxpayers confidence in the integrity of the lottery and its games.”
But anonymity is now allowed. Names and addresses are exempt from the New Jersey’s open records laws.
That doesn’t mean, however, that there aren’t some checks in place. State agencies will be able to share the information internally to collect back child support, public assistance overpayments, delinquent or defaulted student loan payments and other debts.
While the winner can keep his or her name anonymous, identification must be provided to lottery officials and for IRS reporting, according to the New Jersey Lottery. The winning ticket must be presented at lottery headquarters in Lawrence Township in Mercer County, or mailed there.
Tuesday’s Mega Millions jackpot is by far the largest ever won in New Jersey — more than double the $533 million prize won by Richard Wahl on March 30, 2018. Wahl chose the cash option, which was worth $317 million before federal and state taxes were deducted.
Wahl, a now former Vernon resident who was 47 when he hit the jackpot, is also the last big jackpot winner to have his identity revealed and appear before cameras at a press conference. He has since moved to Florida.
The big Mega Millions win on Tuesday is the 8th largest jackpot in U.S. lottery history and the first Mega Millions to prize won since Dec. 8 when two tickets bought at the same Los Angeles gas station hit a $394 million jackpot. Since then, 29 drawings had been held without a ticket matching all the winning numbers.
Tuesday’s winning Mega Millions numbers were: 7, 11, 22, 29 and 38. The Mega Ball drawn was 4 with a Megaplier of 2X.
Stories by Jeff Goldman
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Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com