South Jersey Mega Millions ticket wins $1M as jackpot soars

A ticket sold in South Jersey won $1 million in Tuesday's Mega Millions game, but no one hit the top prize, pushing the jackpot for Friday's drawing to the game's third-highest level ever.

The lucky Atlantic County ticket matched all five white balls drawn (15, 17, 20, 35 and 55) but missed the Mega Ball of 7, falling short of the $390 million jackpot.

The ticket was sold at Christi's, 6415 Delilah Rd., Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey Lottery officials said.

A Texas player also won $1 million.

The jackpot for Friday's game now stands at $415 million for the annuity, or $286 million for the cash option.

If won, it would be the game's biggest prize since Dec. 17, 2013, when two tickets split a $648 million jackpot, Mega Millions' second-largest ever. The record jackpot was the $656 million prize shared by three tickets in a March 2012 drawing.

The top prize has been rising since it was last won March 8 by a ticket sold in Washington state.

The jackpot for Powerball, another major multistate lottery game, has also been increasing. The prize for Wednesday's drawing is up to $222 million, or $151.5 million cash.