"Something told me to get up, get my shoes out and get my tickets."

By Kate Northrop

NORTH WILDWOOD, N.J. — A New Jersey resident suddenly felt the urge to leave the house to buy lottery tickets, and in following their gut ended up winning a $1 million prize.

A New Jersey local was "on a mission" to play the lottery during a family trip, and after locating the perfect lucky retailer, won a $1 million top prize in a scratch-off game.

While taking a trip to the Jersey Shore to visit family, one anonymous scratch-off enthusiast just couldn't shake the feeling that they needed to play the lottery.

"I usually get up, go for a walk, get my coffee and a couple of scratch-offs," the player told the New Jersey Lottery. "But this time, I was on a mission. Something told me to get up, get my shoes out and get my tickets. Something caught my eye, and I said, 'Let me buy that.'"

They headed to the Wawa on West Spruce Avenue in North Wildwood. There, it was a brightly colored $20 "$1,000,000 Diamond Spectacular" scratch-off ticket that stood out to them the most, and as soon as the selection was made, a whirlwind of emotions soon followed.

"Like any player, I guess, I have a routine" the winner began. "I scratch the bonus section first. I didn't win there. Then I scratched the winning numbers [at the top of the ticket]. It looked like I was going to win something. Maybe a free ticket, I thought. I kept going, and... Oh. My. God. I won! I was in shock. Tears were in my eyes. The clerk came over, looked at me and asked if she needed to call an ambulance."

The big win took place over the summer, and since then, the winner has been taking the past few months to get their affairs in order before accepting the huge prize.

"Before I played, that Wawa had another winner of a couple thousand; it must be a lucky Wawa," they remarked.

While the total take-home after taxes may not amount to generational wealth, the Lottery noted, it will still provide the winner with plenty of comfort.

"There's people who win tens of millions, but for me, this is life changing enough," the winner reflected.

That being said, they plan to continue working and have no plans on quitting playing the lottery anytime soon.

"I've won a couple hundred dollars since I've won [the million-dollar prize]," the winner revealed. "And I want to keep [working]. I would go out of my mind otherwise."

Lastly, the player wants to put some of the prize money toward a small house near a beach and family to facilitate a more easygoing lifestyle.

"It will be a little, tiny place," the winner said. "But that's all I need."

There is currently one more top prize of $1 million in the $20 "$1,000,000 Diamond Spectacular" scratch-off game out of the three originally available at the game's launch in July 2023. There are also 12 out of 40 second-tier prizes of $10,000 and 93 out of 304 third-tier prizes of $2,000 remaining.

According to the Lottery, better than 1 ticket in 4 wins a prize in the game.