The New Jersey Lottery has celebrated its 50th anniversary of operations after its first ticket was sold 50 years ago, on December 16, 1970.
A NJ Lottery ticket back then cost just 50-cents and the first one was purchased by former New Jersey Governor Cahill. In its first year of operation, the lottery produced ticket sales of over $137m, allowing over $62m to be awarded in prizes with $41m being returned to the Garden State for education and institutions.
To commemorate its 50th anniversary, the lottery hosted a Facebook Live event where players were encouraged to check-in, watch the celebration, and enter for the chance to be one of 50 winners receiving $500 in scratch-offs.
NJ Lottery Executive Director James A. Carey, Jr, said: “Anniversaries are a time to remember and to celebrate. We remember that New Jersey voters took a chance on the Lottery and it was a winner. We remember the hard work of our partners, the smiles of our winners and the entertainment brought to our players.
“We remind everyone of some of New Jersey’s pioneering accomplishments, such as launching the country’s first computer-generated lottery numbers game; presenting the first internet lottery game in the US; and becoming the first lottery in America to livestream drawings on the Internet.”
The lottery has been celebrating its 50th anniversary with events throughout the year.
Carey added: “This year has been filled with excitement, big wins and a change from live to digital events. Hopefully, it will allow us to be able to bring some good fortune to many people in an otherwise turbulent year.
“January started off with a bang when we were able to celebrate with hundreds of players from around the state. As challenges were presented, we met them with creativity and by pulling together as a team. We can’t wait for this last opportunity to surprise and delight our players this year.”
The lottery produced FY2019 ticket sales of over $3.4bn, with over $2bn in prizes and a contribution to the state of $1.1bn.
