The April 29, 2026 Powerball drawing produced an unprecedented 18 second-tier millionaires in New Jersey, a state record. Fourteen of those tickets matched five numbers without the Powerball to win $1 million each, while four others added the Power Play option to turn their prizes into $2 million apiece.
The Record-Breaking Drawing
New Jersey Lottery officials confirmed the 18 second-tier winners from the single drawing, the most ever in the state for a Powerball game. The $1 million tickets were sold across multiple counties, and the four $2 million tickets — boosted by the Power Play multiplier — were also purchased within the state. The jackpot for that drawing was not disclosed in the facts, but the secondary prizes alone totaled at least $22 million.
A Dream, a Lost Ticket, and a Lucky Find
One of the $1 million winners had an unusual path to claiming the prize. The winner told lottery officials that the numbers came to him in a dream. He wrote them down, bought a ticket, and then promptly lost it. For six months, the ticket was missing — until it fell off a dresser in his home. He found it, checked the numbers, and realized he had a winning ticket that had been sitting in his bedroom all along.
The winner, who chose to remain anonymous as allowed by New Jersey law, said he had given up hope of ever seeing the ticket again. The discovery came just in time; lottery tickets in New Jersey expire one year after the drawing. The winner claimed the $1 million prize as a lump sum, after taxes.
The Winners and Their Prizes
Of the 18 second-tier winners, 14 took home $1 million each. The four who purchased the Power Play add-on saw their prizes double to $2 million. Power Play is an optional feature that multiplies non-jackpot winnings; for the April 29 drawing, the multiplier was 2x. All 18 winners have claimed their prizes, according to the New Jersey Lottery.
The record number of second-tier winners from a single drawing highlights the odds of matching five numbers — about 1 in 11.6 million — and the impact of a large player base. New Jersey is one of the most active Powerball states by ticket sales.
The winner who dreamed the numbers and later found the lost ticket said he plans to use the money to pay off his mortgage and help his children with college tuition. He added that he will continue to play the lottery, but now with a more relaxed attitude.
