Share 
One lucky New Jersey man is starting 2022 off as a millionaire after hitting a jackpot in an Atlantic City casino.
On Jan. 19, Dave J. won over $2.8 million at Golden Nugget Atlantic City, according to a news release. He placed a $6 bet on a penny Monopoly Money Grab slot machine and won the progressive jackpot.
No million-dollar jackpots were won in the first half of January, according to data from state gaming regulators. The Golden Nugget payout is believed to be the largest of 2022.
Last year, five jackpots exceeding $1 million were won in either an Atlantic City casino or on New Jersey online gambling sites.
Jackpots in New Jersey
So, how common are jackpots of this size in New Jersey?
Well, anyone can look for themselves on the state Division of Gaming Enforcement website. The NJDGE posts regular updates with a list of jackpots paid out in Atlantic City casinos or won online.
Since June 2012, there have been 26 jackpots of $1 million or more. The largest was a $5.3 million jackpot by an online casino player in August 2020 on Unibet.
The five $1 million or more jackpots in 2021 are the highest number of wins in the last decade.
One of those wins is from December when a Borgata online casino player hit for $2.2 million playing Bison Fury.
Big paydays in-person and online
In 2018, state gaming regulators began posting jackpots of $50,000 or more. Prior to that, the jackpots listed were at least $75,000.
Since the change, 2021 was, by far, the best year for gamblers. According to the NJDGE reports, 1,455 jackpots of at least $50,000 were won totaling more than $218.2 million.
Between 2013 and 2017, there were a total of 767 jackpots of $75,000 or more.
In 2020, when Atlantic City casinos were closed for more than 100 days, gamblers hit 770 jackpots for nearly $83 million. All three of the million-dollar jackpots won in 2020 were from online casino sites.
Photo provided by Golden Nugget Atlantic City
