New Jersey Lottery announces return of New Year's Raffle after 13 years

Nov 18, 2021, 8:11 am (31 comments)

New Jersey Lottery

One lucky winner to emerge $2 million richer on New Year's Day

By Kate Northrop

After over a decade, the New Jersey Lottery is bringing back a statewide raffle that will award one lucky player a $2 million grand prize, as well as hundreds of other cash prizes.

Beginning Mon., Nov. 22, 500,000 raffle tickets will be up for grabs at $20 each for entry into a series of drawings that could award prizes ranging from $500 all the way up to $2 million.

"It's been 13 years since we have held a New Jersey only raffle and we are bringing it back for our players," Executive Director James Carey said in a press release. "We know that players love great odds, a large cash prize, and a guaranteed grand prize winner selected on the first day of the new year. In total, the New Year's Raffle can award 39,468 prizes and one of those lucky players will start off 2022 as a multimillionaire."

Players entered in the raffle will no doubt be clutching their tickets in anticipation of the grand prize drawing on the first of January, but that doesn't meant there are other drawings to pay close attention to.

Each Monday prior to the new year, the Lottery will hold an "early-bird" drawing for one $25,000 prize — that's five drawings for five winners of $25,000 leading up to the grand prize drawing.

What's more, winners of the $25,000 prize in early-bird drawings will still be eligible for the $2 million top prize.

The first early-bird drawing takes place Mon., Nov. 29.

Not only that, but 100 players will win $5,000, and 900 players will win $500 on New Year's Day in addition to the $2 million grand prize. Finally, up to 38,462 tickets across the state will win a $50 instant prize.

At $20 a ticket, it's the best odds in New Jersey to win a $2 million prize.

"Tickets are limited, so we encourage players with big dreams to get in the game early," Carey continued. "We remind everyone to play responsibly and within their means."

Lottery Post Staff

Comments

sully16's avatarsully16

I love raffles, good luck New Jersey players.Hyper

Todd's avatarTodd

I am super excited about this.  I've really missed the holiday raffles in NJ.  Nice that the top prize is now $2 million.

Think's avatarThink

Quote: Originally posted by sully16 on Nov 18, 2021

I love raffles, good luck New Jersey players.Hyper

I tend to doubt that Michigan will bring back raffles because Fast Cash is very similar to them.

BTW Mega Millions and PowerBall are getting to be pretty similar to raffles too with the rollovers lasting about as many months as raffles tend to take.

Bleudog101

Quote: Originally posted by Todd on Nov 18, 2021

I am super excited about this.  I've really missed the holiday raffles in NJ.  Nice that the top prize is now $2 million.

NJ definitely deserves this raffle.

jplayer33

To the players who win more than $599 on this revised raffle, prepare to wait and wait and wait to get paid. The Jersey Lottery is now advising players on its web-site to expect it to take six weeks to receive a check in the mail AFTER filing a winning claim. Actually it probably takes longer. Also, the Lottery Office in Trenton is available for players to file a claim by appointment only to big winners and open just two days a week until 4:30 p.m. They use the pandemic as an excuse, but even before the 2020 it was taking about four to six weeks to get a check because the N.J. Lottery is run by a private company and obliviously the company can't issue checks from the state. There is a lag time as the two entities work to fulfill claims. But at least back then the office was open every business day, even to walk-ins, and worked on all claims no matter how small. Of course, it is good to win and whenever the money the money arrives it comes in handy, but why can't the NJ Lottery be like New York where you can actually get paid in cash even for large wins at its Casinos? I hit the New Jersey lottery in early 2020 for $5,000 on Play 4 and went right to Resorts World in Jamaica, NY, filled out a claim form and got the money immediately. They pay out up to $250,000.

Bleudog101

Quote: Originally posted by jplayer33 on Nov 18, 2021

To the players who win more than $599 on this revised raffle, prepare to wait and wait and wait to get paid. The Jersey Lottery is now advising players on its web-site to expect it to take six weeks to receive a check in the mail AFTER filing a winning claim. Actually it probably takes longer. Also, the Lottery Office in Trenton is available for players to file a claim by appointment only to big winners and open just two days a week until 4:30 p.m. They use the pandemic as an excuse, but even before the 2020 it was taking about four to six weeks to get a check because the N.J. Lottery is run by a private company and obliviously the company can't issue checks from the state. There is a lag time as the two entities work to fulfill claims. But at least back then the office was open every business day, even to walk-ins, and worked on all claims no matter how small. Of course, it is good to win and whenever the money the money arrives it comes in handy, but why can't the NJ Lottery be like New York where you can actually get paid in cash even for large wins at its Casinos? I hit the New Jersey lottery in early 2020 for $5,000 on Play 4 and went right to Resorts World in Jamaica, NY, filled out a claim form and got the money immediately. They pay out up to $250,000.

Agree with you folks using the pandemic as an excuse to not do things like they used to.  We got stuck with games going to RNG which I think we all HATE!!

Am confused by your last sentence...won $5K in NJ and claimed it @ Resorts World in Jamaica, New York?   Sounds like you won in two different states?   How long did NJ take to divvy out the money?

jplayer33

Bleudog101, you are right. That was inaccurate. It wasn't the NJ Lottery. I meant NY Lottery. I hit the Play 4 for $1 straight in New York City and cashed it at the casino. Thanks for catching the mistake. And, yes, companies are using the pandemic as an excuse to cut their costs like hotels limiting housekeeping, etc. And computer drawings are the worst and obviously put in place to control the payouts since a computer drawing cannot be truly "random" because the computer has to be programmed.

jplayer33

My mistake. It was the NEW YORK Lottery i hit in early February 2020 for $5,000 and cashed the ticket at Resorts World.

Bleudog101

Quote: Originally posted by jplayer33 on Nov 18, 2021

My mistake. It was the NEW YORK Lottery i hit in early February 2020 for $5,000 and cashed the ticket at Resorts World.

No problem whatsoever.

 

Do they take taxes out on a $5K win?   Here they don't and you know that tax form comes quickly.

sully16's avatarsully16

Quote: Originally posted by Think on Nov 18, 2021

I tend to doubt that Michigan will bring back raffles because Fast Cash is very similar to them.

BTW Mega Millions and PowerBall are getting to be pretty similar to raffles too with the rollovers lasting about as many months as raffles tend to take.

They had an on-line raffle but you had to join up, so I passed .

GiveFive's avatarGiveFive

Florida did away with their holiday millionaire raffle a few years ago.  Sure wish they'd bring it back like NJ did.  G5

Todd's avatarTodd

Pennsylvania also continues to operate its annual holiday Millionaire Raffle, which is the oldest in the nation (est. 2005), and has been in operation every year since then.  Tickets went on sale this year on Nov. 9.  Weekly early bird drawings are taking place, and the final drawing is on Jan. 8, 2022.

haymaker's avatarhaymaker

Hi all,

Just came back from buying 2 raffle tix, very unusual for me to drop  $20 on a lottery ticket, let alone $40. (I don't buy scratchers)

when I asked clerk for the tix she punched a few buttons on the machine and it spit out 3 slips of paper,  we both initially though something went wrong,

and I thought I was spending $60 B/C I always buy the mistakes. wrong, I did not realize this game had a $50 instant win prize also.

The 3rd slip of paper read : Congratulations you have won $50.  the clerk was not sure what to do and called someone on the phone.

then paid the $50. I trust this store. but be on the lookout, a dishonest clerk could take the 3rd slip and you might not be the wiser.

scentcrazy

So do you have to be a NJ resident to purchase a ticket? What if you live in a neighboring state?

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