Powerball and Mega Millions offer the biggest prizes, but they don't sell the most tickets
While Powerball and Mega Millions capture the public's attention when their jackpots soar into the hundreds of millions, it's other lottery games that pay the freight in New Jersey.
During fiscal year 2015, the New Jersey Lottery sold more than $1.7 billion in scratch-off tickets, which accounted for about 57 percent of the roughly $3 billion the lottery generated last year.
Mega Millions and Powerball, tickets for which are sold across the country, combined make up less than 11 percent of the lottery's revenue. Each sold a little more than $160 million in tickets. Sales for both are heavily dependent on the size of the jackpots. They are run by the Iowa-based Multi-State Lottery Association.
Twice daily draw games Pick 3 and Pick 4 are far more popular on the whole.
The lottery paid out more than $1.8 billion in prize money from July 1, 2014, to June 30, 2015. It contributed about $925 million to the state's coffers - mostly for education but also for human services and military and veteran affairs.
Of the remaining money, the largest chunk ($169.5 million) went to paying commissions to the state's approximately 7,600 lottery retailers.
Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.