If you’re feeling lucky, you might want to play the Powerball. NJ, along with forty-one other states, as well as Washington D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands, offer an opportunity to turn your dreams into reality. The recent craze, due to the record breaking jackpot, had retailers selling nearly 3,600 tickets an hour in the days leading up to the drawing. After all was said and done, two individuals held the winning tickets. Unfortunately, neither was from New Jersey. There were however, eight lucky New Jersey residents that became millionaires over night.

Participants in the lottery aren’t the only ones that win when they play the Powerball. NJ State greatly benefits from the sales of Powerball tickets. Like most state lotteries that participate in the Powerball game, New Jersey sees thirty-five percent of the ticket sales go toward state programs that benefit the millions of residents that reside there. In the forty years since the inception of Powerball, the state of New Jersey has dedicated more than twenty billion dollars to local programs including the Marie Katzenbach School for the Deaf, the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, the School Nutrition Program, as well as many other community programs.

For local business owners, the benefits of selling tickets for the twice weekly drawing are substantial. Not only do they see an increase in foot traffic in the days leading up to the drawings, but they are also awarded bonuses if they sell the jackpot winning ticket. When a top prize winning ticket is sold, that retailer gets a $10,000 bonus. They receive a $500 bonus for every second prize winning ticket that they sell. This not only goes toward helping local businesses succeed, but it also helps the local economy.  Who wouldn’t be jumping at the chance to be a Powerball retailer?