Lottery officials expect faster growing jackpots

By Kate Northrop

The New Jersey Lottery announced on Monday that it will be adding a third weekly drawing to its Pick 6 game, the first major game change since 2022.

Starting this summer, New Jersey lottery players will be getting a third weekly drawing for Pick 6, which the Lottery expects will result in faster growing jackpots.

Pick 6 currently offers two weekly drawings on Mondays and Thursdays. On July 12, the game will get a Saturday drawing.

"I'm excited about this enhancement," Lottery Director James Carey said in a press release. "Everything we do is to benefit our players. By having an additional drawing each week, we will see jackpots grow even faster. That means more excitement for everybody!"

To adjust for the upcoming game change, the Lottery began limiting the number of advance draws a player could purchase on April 15, temporarily going from the maximum number of 26 future drawings to 24, and then decreasing by one with each subsequent drawing. After Friday, July 11, players can resume buying tickets for as many as 26 future draws.

This is the first major game change Pick 6 is undergoing since April 2022, when the price of a ticket increased from $1 to $2, the number matrix was reduced to improve the chances of winning, a multiplier number was embedded in every play, and a new $1 Double Play option was added.

For an extra $1, players who select the Double Play option are entered into an additional drawing held immediately after the regular Pick 6 drawing. The add-on entry uses the same numbers and multiplier from the original ticket. The Double Play drawing gives players a chance to win a $250,000 top prize and other prizes of lesser value.

According to the Lottery, the game enhancements led to year-over-year sales growth in fiscal years 2023 and 2024, which saw sales of $80 million.

There have been two big Pick 6 wins so far in 2025: a $5.5 million prize won in March by a ticket purchased at Clark Cardsmart in Clark and a whopping $32 million jackpot won in January by one ticket bought at Quick Mart in Jackson.

With the additional drawing, the Pick 6 starting jackpot will remain at $2 million, and the odds will not change. Drawings currently take place Mondays and Thursdays at 10:57 p.m. Eastern Time, with a Saturday drawing to be added starting July 12.