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November 1969 — Voters Approve Lottery
New Jersey voters overwhelmingly approved the establishment of a State Lottery as part of the general election. The 81.5% majority in favor of a Lottery was one of the largest in New Jersey political history.
April 1970 — Senate Confirms First New Jersey Lottery Executive Director
Ralph Batch has been confirmed by the New Jersey Senate as the first Executive Director of the New Jersey State Lottery.
December 16, 1970 — First Lottery Ticket Sold to Governor William T. Cahill
New Jersey Lottery weekly game tickets went on sale at 2,000 agent locations throughout the state.
March 1971 — First Millionaire Drawing Held
The lucky winners were Edward and Kathleen Henry of West Caldwell. The first annuity payment in the amount of $50,000 was presented by Dr. Thomas E. Maggio, chairman of the New Jersey Lottery Commission.
November 1972 — The First 5 Digit Daily Game is Introduced
The 50¢, 5-Digit Daily Game is introduced featuring $10,000 top prizes.
January 1974 - Senate Confirms New Jersey Lottery Executive Director
Charles Carella has been confirmed by the New Jersey Senate as the new Executive Director of the New Jersey State Lottery.
May 1975 — Pick-It, The Nations 1st Online Game is Introduced
New Jersey Lottery introduces the first online Lottery numbers game in the U.S.
June 1975 — First Instant Game Introduced
New Jersey's first instant game called "7-11-21" features instant cash for prizes up to $10,000.
September 1975 - Senate Confirms New Jersey Lottery Executive Director
Henry Luther, Esq. has been confirmed by the New Jersey Senate as the new Executive Director of the New Jersey State Lottery.
January 1977 — First Televised New Jersey Lottery Drawing
New Jersey Network televised the first broadcast of a New Jersey Lottery drawing with former Miss New Jersey, Hela Young as the Hostess.
June 1977 — Pick-4 is Introduced
New Jersey Lottery introduces Pick-4, a weekly computerized four digit game.
July 1977 - Senate Confirms New Jersey Lottery Executive Director
Gloria Decker has been confirmed by the New Jersey Senate as the new Executive Director of the New Jersey State Lottery.
May 1980 — Pick-6 Lotto is Introduced
Sales of the game begin after a successful test of the computerized sales network of 2,000 agents. Tickets cost $1, and an added feature of the game is a grand prize bonus drawing with cash prizes up to $100,000.
March 1981 — First Pick-6 Bonus Drawing Held
The first Pick-6 Bonus drawing awards $100,000 as the top cash prize.
May 1981 — First Pick-6 Lotto Millionaire
Manuel Collada of Hillside, NJ, won a $1.8 million cash prize.
April 1982 - Senate Confirms New Jersey Lottery Executive Director
Hazel Frank Gluck has been confirmed by the New Jersey Senate as the new Executive Director of the New Jersey State Lottery.
October 1982 — Pick-6 Lotto annuity prize began.
May 1983 — New Jersey Lottery Names 100th Millionaire.
June 1984 — Pick-6 Lotto Game Expands Numbers; Bonus Drawing Rises to $1 Million
Pick-6 Lotto matrix increased from 6 out of 36 to 6 out of 39 numbers and the Pick-6 Bonus drawing prize was raised to $1 million.
May 1985 - Senate Confirms New Jersey Lottery Executive Director
Joan Zielinski has been confirmed by the New Jersey Senate as the new Executive Director of the New Jersey State Lottery.
February 1986 — Pick-6 Adds More Numbers; Drawings Held Twice a Week
New Jersey Lottery Commission approves changes in Pick-6 Lotto, changing the number base from 6 out of 39 to 6 out of 42. A second weekly drawing is also added.
June 1986 — $1 Billion Mark is Reached
Pick-6 Lotto passes the $1 billion mark in cumulative total sales.
February 1987 — Pick-It name changed to Pick-3.
April 1987 — Yearly Sales Surpass $1 Billion.
April 1987 - Senate Confirms New Jersey Lottery Executive Director
Barbara Marrow-Mooring has been confirmed by the New Jersey Senate as the new Executive Director of the New Jersey State Lottery.
January 1989 — Pick-6 Lotto Game Expands Numbers; Adds Sunday Drawings for Daily Games
Pick-6 Lotto is changed from 42 to 46 numbers. Lottery Commission approved Sunday drawings for its two daily games, Pick-3 and Pick-4.
July 1991 — Lottery Helps Gamblers
Toll free "hotline" set up for persons with compulsive gambling problems, printed on all Lottery tickets and literature.
July 1991 - Senate Confirms New Jersey Lottery Executive Director
Frank Pelly has been confirmed by the New Jersey Senate as the new Executive Director of the New Jersey State Lottery.
September 1992 — Jersey Cash 5 is Introduced
Sales begin for the new Jersey Cash 5 game, with all cash prizes (no annuities) and no rollovers.
August 1993 —"Lucky 372" Share $8.6 Million Pick-6 Jackpot
The largest group ever to share a Pick-6 Lotto prize claimed the $8.6 million jackpot.
July 1994 - Senate Confirms New Jersey Lottery Executive Director
Virginia Haines has been confirmed by the New Jersey Senate as the new Executive Director of the New Jersey State Lottery.
January 1995 — 25th Anniversary Kick Off
The New Jersey Lottery kicks off the 25th Anniversary of the Lottery and unveils the state's first $5 instant game, Lucky Anniversary.
May 1995 — Pick-6 Lotto Exceeds $5 Billion in Sales Since Inception
January 1996 — Lottery Introduces First "Win for Life" Instant Game
Lottery introduced the first Win for Life game, offering a top prize of $1,000 a week for life and many other prizes.
December 1996 — Lottery Introduces first $10 Instant Game
May 1997 — Lottery Announces Cash Option and Advanced Play for Pick-6 Lotto
New Jersey Lottery introduced Cash Option which allows Pick-6 Lotto players to select receiving the top prize in one lump sum. Also, players can now play Pick-6 Lotto numbers in advance.
March 1998 — Lottery Introduces "LOTZEE"
Introduction of LOTZEE game is approved with Saturday night draw. The tickets are $2 each and the top prize is $500,000.
September 1998 — Lottery Changes Pick-6 Annuity to 25 Years.
The New Jersey Lottery changes the annuity structure from 20 years to 25.
May 1999 — New Jersey Lottery joins Multi-state Lottery, "Big Game "
Introduction of Big Game to New Jersey Lottery. Other states include: Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Maryland, and Virginia.
December 1999 — First New Jersey Player Wins Big Game
A retired Ocean County man took home the top prize of $13 million in Big Game.
May 2000 — Big Game Jackpot reaches $363 Million
Big Game soared to $363 million, one of the largest jackpots in American history, on May 9, 2000. Two winning tickets from Michigan and Illinois split the jackpot.
February 2001 — Largest Pick-6 Lotto Jackpot in New Jersey History
The highest Pick-6 Lotto jackpot in New Jersey history, $48.9 million, is won by James and Eileen Rath of Union, Union County.
June 2001 — BIG GAME Winner Claims Winning Ticket in Knick of Time
A winning BIG GAME ticket worth $46 million sold in Bergen County is claimed two days before expiration by Melvin Milligan of Passaic, Passaic County.
August 2001 — Largest BIG GAME Jackpot Paid in New Jersey
The largest BIG GAME jackpot in New Jersey, $118 million is split between "Trunks Up Partnership" of Cherry Hill, Camden County, and the "Dream Team" group of Pathmark Supermarket in Brick, Ocean County.
September 2001 — Final Pick-6 Lotto Bonus Drawing Held in Atlantic City
Six coworkers from Sutton Warehouse in Sayerville, Middlesex County share in $1 million prize at Final Bonus drawing. The Bonus Million feature was eliminated as part of the Lottery's enhanced Pick-6 Lotto game, which debuted on September 11, 2000.
October 2001 — Jersey Cash 5 Drawings Increased to Seven Days a Week
Jersey Cash 5 drawings are increased to include Saturday and Sunday.
October 2001 – Lottery Introduces “For Every Dollar, There's a Dream” Instant Game
Spokesperson and recording legend Ray Charles and Executive Director Virginia Haines unveil “For Every Dollar, There's a Dream” instant game.
October 2001 – 100th Win For Life Winner
Rufus Street of Paterson of Passaic County is the 100th top prizewinner of the Win For Life instant game since it was first introduced in 1996.
October 2001 – New Jersey Lottery Wins Batchy Award
The Lottery wins the distinguished Batchy Award for “Best Web Site Home Page” and “Best Print Ad” from the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL).
November 2001 – Introduction of Midday Drawings
Drawings for two of the Lottery's most popular games, Pick 3 and Pick 4, evolve with the addition of midday drawings to increase prizes and winners.
January 2002 – Introduction of Big Money Spectacular Instant Game
Big Money Spectacular offers largest payout of any $2 instant game ticket in NJ history.
January 2002 – Lottery makes several improvements to “Lotzee”
A Wednesday drawing is added and higher payouts for winners.
April 2002 – Largest New Jersey Big Game Jackpot Won
Jorge and Joanne Lopes win the largest prize in New Jersey Lottery History when they claim $331 million in the Big Game.
May 2002 – Mega Millions Replaces Big Game
Mega Million's makes its debut at over 6,000 retailer locations throughout the state. Kickoff event held aboard the USS New Jersey in Camden.
June 2002 – Lottery Sales Surpass $2 Billion for First Time in History.
July 2002 – New Jersey's first Mega Millions Top-prize Winner
Sundel "Sonny" Judson of Cliffside Park becomes New Jersey's first Mega Millions top-prize winner by claiming the $165 Million prize.
August 2002 – New Jersey Lottery launches new web site address: www.njlottery.net
March 2003 – Introduction of Slingo
One of the nations most popular Internet games introduced as an instant game.
March 2003 – The New Jersey Lottery renovates its nightly drawing stage and web site design.
March 2003 – The International Gaming & Wagering Business Magazines' annual Lottery Efficiency Study ranked the New Jersey Lottery as one of its most efficient Lotteries in the nation.
July 2003 – Lottery sales top $2 billion for second year in a row.
August 2003 – Senate Confirms New Jersey Lottery Executive Director
Virginia S. Bauer has been confirmed by the New Jersey Senate as the new Executive Director of the New Jersey State Lottery.
August 2003 – New Jersey broadens its AMBER Alert network to include 6,000 lottery retailer locations throughout the Garden State.
August 2003 – The End of LOTZEE
LOTZEE is terminated as a Lottery product.
September 2003 – Jersey Cash 5 Improvements
Jersey Cash 5 changes from “roll down” game to “roll over” game producing higher prizes for winners.
February 2004 – Introduction of Cyber Slingo, the First Internet Lottery Game
New Jersey Lottery introduces first Lottery game with on-line component.
March 2004 – Introduction of the Where the Money Goes Speakers Bureau Tour
With the goal of educating players about how Lottery revenue is distributed and used to enhance state education program
October 2004 – Lottery Executive Wins Prestigious North American Award
Foster Krupa, New Jersey Lottery's Marketing & Instant Game Manager, claims the Powers Award from the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL). Mr. Krupa was presented in recognition of his significant contribution to the New Jersey Lottery.
November 2004 – New Jersey Lottery Launches Second E-Game: Tetris
Tetris, the famous action puzzle game that has been played around the world for nearly 20 years, was converted into the form of an instant ticket.
February 2005 – California Announces Plans to Join Mega Millions
June 2005 – Senate Confirms New Jersey Lottery Executive Director
Michellene Davis, Esq. has been confirmed by the New Jersey Senate as the new Executive Director of the New Jersey State Lottery.
June 2005 – California Joins Mega Millions Group
With the addition of California to the Mega Millions family, the matrix changed to create the ability for much larger jackpots, growing at a much faster rate. The second tier prize rose to $250,000 (up from $175,000) as the third prize jumped to $10,000 (up from $5,000).
June 2005 - Chinese Delegation of Sports Lottery Officials Visit New Jersey Lottery
The New Jersey State Lottery's outstanding reputation as one of the most efficient and cost effective state lotteries in the United States has earned a visit from the representatives of China 's Sports Lottery. The contingent of 10 met with Executive Director Michellene Davis and several members of her senior staff to learn about management methods, efficiency and cost effectiveness.
September 16, 2005 - Largest Single Ticket Win in NJ Lottery History
Harold & Helen Lerner of Bergen County win $258 Million in Mega Millions.
June 2, 2006 - Raynald Holder of Middlesex County Wins $47 Million in Mega Millions
September 26, 2006 - Martin Fogarty of Bergen County Wins $15 Million in Mega Millions
March 6, 2007 - Cape May County Couple Wins Record Setting
Mega Millions Jackpot
Harold & Elaine Messner of Cape May County win half of record $390 Million Mega Millions jackpot.
August 31, 2007 - John & Sandra Belawsky of Cape May County Win Mega Millions
Cape May County couple one of four winners of near record $330 Million Mega Millions jackpot.
September 25, 2007 - John & Linda Feeney of Passaic County Win $12 Million in Mega Millions
October 23, 2007 - Jersey Cash 5 Hits Record Jackpot of $1,864,438
Seven winners in six counties split this record jackpot which shattered the old record by more than $600,000.
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