Peculiar NJ Lottery Numbers Result in Record-setting $1.2M Payout

Something peculiar happened with one New Jersey Lottery game last week.

Not once, but twice.

Nothing illegal or underhanded, obviously, but something that certainly caught a lot of people's attention and made a lot of people big winners.

The only thing missing from this story is that it happened last Wednesday, October 11th -- two days away from the superstitious Friday the 13th.

On that Wednesday, the New Jersey Lottery payed-out over $1.2 million in prizes to those playing Pick-3.

New Jersey Lottery game card (Dan Alexander, Townsquare Media NJ)

Now, a typical Pick-3 jackpot is relatively small, especially compared to other games. You'll win about $250 if you get all three numbers straight.

So how did $1.2 million go out the door?

Last Wednesday, the midday Pick-3 numbers that were drawn were 1-1-1.

On top of that, the next drawing that evening was 1-0-1.

There were over 2,000 tickets that won $250 each playing 1-1-1 straight midday and 1-0-1 straight evening based on a $0.50 wager.

If our math is correct, that's about a 49,900% return on your investment.

This significant payout is the result of the game change that took place on November 14, 2022, which made it possible for players to win such a large amount in a single day. In fact, this is the largest single day payout for Pick-3 in the history of the game.

Additionally, another 2,000+ players won $50 each with bets eligible for the New Jersey Lottery's Straight Back Bonus promotion.

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