TRENTON, N.J. — Some losing New Jersey Lottery scratch-off tickets may soon become lucrative items.
New Jersey Lottery officials plan to soon roll out "Million Dollar Replay," a program that will allow scratch-off holders to enter their losing tickets into a yearly $1 million drawing.
To take part, players will have to join the lottery's VIP Club and have bought at least $10 in non-winning tickets.
The lottery will also hold quarterly drawings to pick 100 winners who will each get $250. And at year's end, 15 winners will be selected for prizes ranging from $10,000 to $1 million.
It's not yet known when the program will get under way, though details are expected to be announced sometime this spring. It stems from an agreement lottery officials made with Assemblyman Paul Moriarty, D-Turnersville.
Moriarty had sponsored legislation that would bar the selling of scratch-off tickets after the top prize had already been awarded, a plan opposed by lottery officials.
Moriarty says the program gives scratch-off holders a second chance while providing a revenue boost for the lottery.
"I have always been of the belief that it is misleading to continue selling scratch-off tickets to the public when the top prizes have already been awarded," Moriarty said. "However, lottery officials had their own concerns so we have reached what I believe is a great compromise victory for consumers."
if scratch offs are truly random the very 1st ticket sold, could be the jackpot. sure would be an expensive recall, for the lottery if they had to can the whole print run. but then as a punter i wouldnt like to buy the remaining losing tickets.
Sounds nice. I'm about to join the VIP club just because I do have a few losing scratch offs, and hey, you never know.
I mean, how many people would go through the trouble of doing it, and then looking at how many winners there are, it could be better odds than playing the lottery anyway.
IF, for example, you did win one of the quarterly draws for $250, then you'd have a 15/400 chance of winning 10000-1 million. My dad was telling me that back in the day, he bought a (Pick 6?) ticket that had a promotion like this. He and like 99 other people won like 500 and a chance at a million. He didn't get the million- but the fact that he had the chance makes me feel like there's is hope.
Illinois has a 2nd Chance contest every so often but the entry is $30 in losing tickets, any kind, scratchers or number games.
Yopu can fill the back of the tickets out and send them in via snail mail, or log them in on their website, but you must keep the tickets.
When they have this promotion sales of the higher priced tickets scratchers go up, much easirt to log in three $10 ones than 30 $1 ones.
The prizes are no where near what Nj is proposing though.
Great idea, Michigan has the player city, you can be entered in the second chance drawing or win everything from more scratchers or tickets to sporting events concerts, it is a way to boost sales.
I haevn't been playing that long, but from what I can tell, our second chance tickets usually don't pay out cash - they usually have some kind of prize like a Cruise trip.
Great idea! Maybe my state will adopt this too.
I like this idea !!!
They mentioned in Spring.. They did NOT say (did they?) if they will allow tickets from before the program starts, such as those I have lying around here now. Start scooping now! What a way to get the ELE7VEN lots cleaned for free! How many winners of these drawings will be Store Owners smart enough to hide those overflowing wastebaskets behind the counter right away???
I seriously doubt that you will be able to have multiple entries. And it's not like you could use a fake name, when you go to claim it, they'd need ID of some sort.
Now that's a lottery. Give something back...to keep em coming back...!
that is a good news,looser also have been a chance to win a consolation prizes.
...the winner wins a "date" with the drunk, plump-slob "snookie"
from mtv "Jersey Shore".......that'd be great
I've seen people picking up used scratchers out of garbage cans and parking lots.
Don't forget that the State of New Jersey will confiscate 10.8% of the $1,000,000