Mega Millions lottery winner to be revealed Friday

Sep 22, 2005, 11:21 pm (26 comments)

Mega Millions

The winner of last week's $258 million Mega Millions lottery jackpot will be revealed tomorrow.

New Jersey Lottery officials have scheduled an 11:30 am news conference on the campus of Seton Hall University to introduce the winner.  They won't say whether the winner was a single individual or a group.

The winning ticket from last Friday's drawing was bought at a newsstand in Rutherford.

The winner will collect the fifth-largest lottery jackpot ever awarded in the US.

Officials have even refused to reveal if the winner is from New Jersey.

If taken as a lump sum payout, the winning ticket is worth $117.1 million after taxes.

The jackpot, which was building since July 26, is the largest in New Jersey history. The state will collect $24.9 million in revenue and lottery agents will share $3 million — with the Leprechaun News II newsstand in Rutherford, which sold the ticket, getting $10,000.

The winning numbers drawn Friday were 5, 16, 41, 46 and 50 with the Mega Ball number 1. The odds of any one ticket having the winning combination were 1 in 175,711,536.

A total of 9.5 million tickets provided prizes ranging from $2 to $250,000, said Everett Merrill, a lottery spokesman. Eleven second-place winners from the state claimed prizes of $250,000.

The previous state record for the biggest single-ticket lottery jackpot is held by Sonny Judson of Cliffside Park, Bergen County, who won a $165 million Mega Millions drawing on July 16, 2002. The nation's record jackpot is $363 million, shared by two Mega Millions winners in May 2000. The largest single-ticket winner won a $314.9 million jackpot in the multi-state Powerball game on Christmas Day 2002.

Eleven other states — California, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Texas, Virginia and Washington — join New Jersey in conducting the Mega Millions lottery.

Lottery Post Staff

Comments

Bradly_60's avatarBradly_60

At Seton Hall University.....hmmmm

I am assuming the winner is either a student or a professor of the school.

Brad

golotto

It'll be interesting to find out tomorrow how many tickets the winner purchased and what kind?  Since it was a newsstand probably were quick-picks ... I'll guess a group of school employees chipped in five bucks each.

 Smiley

Down's avatarDown

i bet its some old people like in their 50's or 60's and i bet the people who won never play the lottery......stupid lucky person(s)

Todd's avatarTodd

i bet its some old people like in their 50's or 60's and i bet the people who won never play the lottery......stupid lucky person(s)

Stupid?  Old?  You really sound pretty nasty, assigning labels to people.  One thing's for sure: people who are nasty to others usually aren't very lucky themselves.  I've noticed that the nicest people are normally the luckiest.  Funny how that works.

delS

With a tag name DOWN I clearly understand why.  Your remarks are sick and troubling.  It doesn't matter whether the person is old, young, a domestic worker, wall street banker, whatever.  If they won fair and square, they are to be celebrated with. 

I get sick of this hate and divisive talk in our country. Grow up.

Chewie

I'm inclinded to think it will be a group. They keep saying "winner" but never say "he" or "she" in their news releases. Then again, they haven't used the plural "winners" either. Guess I'll set my internet to one of the NYC stations and see what happens.

mt7895's avatarmt7895

US Flag

Hmm, What if it's some graduate college kid that  bought a magazine and a quick pic?   Wow, being in the 20's or 30's (age) with all that money.  (ok, ok, so I'm a bit envious ... I still wish him/her well.)  Hope who ever wins uses it wisely and don't blow it a few years. 

It's not only going the change that person's life but it's going be a generational change as well.  

It will be interesting to know if the winning ticket was a quick pic or not. 

Sigh ... Roll Eyes  all that money. .... ok back to reality ... groan, bills, mortgage, work, traffic, gotta wake up  .... getting out of bed. Sulk Off

Chewie

At 11:30am, a WCBSTV.com special LIVE webcast. Meet the winner of the $258 million mega millions lottery. We'll bring you the live announcement at a news conference at Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J.

http://www.cbsnewyork.com/

 

DoctorEw220's avatarDoctorEw220

At Seton Hall University.....hmmmm

I am assuming the winner is either a student or a professor of the school.

Brad

there are other possibilities.  the winner could be a worker such as a housekeeper at the university.

shalini

hi mt7895!

i am happy too for whoever the lucky person is but  I had been so excited.....loads of plans made as to how I could spend even a bit of that money...not in my kismet as yet I guess....................what fun to win something like this!

 

Hopefully someday we'll win something too.......

tg636

In case you want to check out how much the truly rich have...

http://www.forbes.com/richlist/

The least wealthy person on the Forbes 400 list has $900 million, or $642 million more than this huge jackpot (if the winner got all $258 million at once without taxes).  That puts things in perspective.

Now as for the ignorant and rude comment "old people like in their 50's or 60's...stupid lucky person(s)" I guess you don't think people who have suffered and struggled all their life deserve some good fortune.  I assume that once you become a stupid old person you will no longer buy a lottery ticket so a 19 year old will have a better chance at winning the jackpot.

 

mken32's avatarmken32

It'll be interesting to find out tomorrow how many tickets the winner purchased and what kind?  Since it was a newsstand probably were quick-picks ... I'll guess a group of school employees chipped in five bucks each.

 Smiley

I Agree!

Chewie

More than one winner. They delayed announcement for 5 minutes.

Chewie

Opps.

A couple. Helen & Harold Lerner,  middle aged couple.  She graduated from Seton Hall. 

 

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