News writer
Nine friends, one ticket, and a hunch that their usual lottery spot had lost its spark. That's all it took for a New Jersey crew to switch up their routine and end up with a six-figure jackpot win. What led them to a new Wawa, and how did a random Quick Pick turn into a blessing nearly five years in the making?
Teamwork pays off in New Jersey
How do you win a big lottery jackpot? Sometimes all you need is some teamwork, superstition, and a hefty amount of optimism. That is how it worked out for a group of nine South Jersey lottery players in Camden County who just happened to win the Jersey Cash 5 jackpot of $746,853 on Thursday, June 26.
The winning numbers for that drawing were 8, 17, 19, 22, and 36. The XTRA was 2, and the Bullseye was 19.
Switching things up
While the group of friends buy tickets every week, some intuition led them to a different store and this jackpot win.
The group leader told lottery officials that they usually go to a specific Wawa to purchase their tickets. However, they were worried that the particular store had run out of luck.
Because of that, they decided to switch it up and try their luck at another Wawa store, this one located at 421 Whitehorse Pike South in Lindenwold. The group leader said:
I figured it was time to change our luck. It was the first time I went there.
For the ticket purchases for the week, the group bought a set of numbers, which included some specific numbers and a Quick Pick ticket. Turns out that the Quick Pick ticket was the winner. The group leader told lottery officials:
Because I get a week's worth of numbers, I was checking the tickets late Friday night — actually Saturday morning around 1 a.m. — I'm a night owl. I said 'Let me see what we won.' I was dumbfounded. It was the quick pick that won. I kept checking and rechecking. I couldn't wait to call everybody in the morning.
"It was a blessing"
The morning finally arrived, and the group leader was able to call all her teammates and let them know the good news. With nine people in the group, they each won around $80,000. The leader said, “Nobody could believe it. They thought I was joking! It was a blessing!”
The group has been trying its luck at winning a big jackpot for the better part of five years. They play a variety of draw games, including Cash 5, and have come close to hitting it big. The winner recalled:
Last year, we missed the Cash 5 by just one number. We were thrilled to even win that. We like the Cash 5 because it has won so much.
They aren't lying, as there have been 34 jackpots won for the Jersey Cash 5 game so far in 2025.
How to manage a lottery pool
Starting a lottery pool can be a tricky road to get down. The New Jersey Lottery gave some recommendations for groups that are looking to pool their money together — like this winning group — and buy lottery tickets. They said these groups should follow these steps:
- Know who your pool is and record who has contributed.
- Establish and agree on ground rules and know what happens if the group wins.
- Recruit a pool member as your leader.
- Keep all original tickets in a safe, secure place.
- Determine what game you want to play.
This Camden County group clearly had all their ducks in a row, and even after this big win, they won't be stopping anytime soon. “We've been doing this for five years,” the group leader said. “We're going to keep playing.”
Enjoy playing the New Jersey Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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