1 winning Mega Millions ticket sold in Passaic County, NJ

Wednesday, September 26, 2007 posted 11:37 AM EDT

It's a chunk of change short of the nearly $50 million that a Cape May County couple claimed earlier this month.

And way short of the $116 million windfall another Cape May County couple landed back in March.

But last night a single Jersey-bought ticket snagged Mega Millions' $12 million jackpot.

Exactly where the ticket was purchased was still being verified as of 9 a.m., but the location is Passaic County, said Dominick DeMarco, spokesman for the New Jersey Lottery.

The $12 million is what the printout's worth if the prize is paid in annual installments.

In cash, the prize is about $7 million.

All these figures are before taxes, of course.

The winning numbers were 2, 19, 23, 47 and 54, with a Mega Ball of 16.

The jackpot was as low as it can go because a California ticket won Saturday's $60 million pot.

Friday's jackpot will again be $12 million.

Powerball, the other major multistate lottery, has a $61 million jackpot up for grabs tonight.

On Sept. 6, retirees John and Sandy Belawsky, who bought their Mega Millions ticket in Villas, N.J., came forward to take their part of a four-way split a gigundo jackpot billed as $330 million.

That was the total if all the winners were paid in annual installments.

The March 6 drawing reached a U.S. record $390 million, and Elaine and Harold Messner took their half in the form of the lesser lump-sum payout.

Mega Millions is played in New Jersey, Maryland and 10 other states.

Powerball is played in Pennsylvania, Delaware and more than two dozen other states.

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