First-ever NJ Lottery scratch-off features real local dogs

🐶 New Jersey Lottery launches “Jersey Dog,” a first-ever scratch-off featuring real NJ dogs and their hometowns, with a top prize of $200,000.
🗳️ Contest drew 5,000 entries and public voting helped choose 18 winning pups from across the state.
🎟️ $5 tickets now on sale statewide, showcasing local pride, community spirit, and adorable canine stars.

A new scratch-off ticket from the New Jersey Lottery is available statewide starting today, May 4, and this is a first of its kind.

Eighteen official “Top Dogs” from New Jersey are being featured on the Lottery’s newest scratch-off game called “Jersey Dog.”

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First-ever New Jersey Lottery scratch-off features real dogs and public voting

The first-of-its-kind contest drew 5,000 entries when it first launched in September from proud New Jersey parents hoping to see their pup featured on New Jersey Lottery Scratch-Offs, said NJ Lottery Executive Director Jim Carey.

A statewide public vote narrowed the field to the top 50 dogs. From those top vote-getters, the final 18 were selected to best represent standout dogs from across the Garden State of various breeds, sizes, and temperaments that best embody New Jersey’s attitude, spirit, and irresistible charm.

This is the first time real dogs from real people in New Jersey with names and their hometowns have been featured on a New Jersey Lottery scratch-off, and this is the first time the public has been involved in creating a scratch-off in the state, Carey said.

Each of the 18 chosen pups represents all areas of the state, from North, Central, South, and the Jersey Shore, featuring various breeds like mutts, poodles, Golden Retrievers, Corgis, French Bulldogs, and more, he added.

The 18 “Top Dogs” include

• Arlo of Red Bank
• Bailey of Netcong
• Bear of Hamilton
• Brantley of Wall
• Cash of Wanaque
• Dallas of Browns Mills
• Duke of Roselle Park
• Frankie of Union
• George of Cape May Court House
• Ginger of Old Bridge
• Goose of Bridgeton
• Huck of Piscataway
• Jersey of Belle Mead
• Jezebel of Lake Hopatcong
• Lula of Tinton Falls
• Magic of Toms River
• Teddy of Port Monmouth
• Trapper of Egg Harbor City

How the $5 “Jersey Dog” scratch-off works and prize details

The $5 scratch-offs are available wherever New Jersey Lottery tickets are sold. You won’t be able to miss them.

“It is a big, bright ticket. Some of them are blue, green, orange, pink and purple. They say Jersey Dog on the top and they have a big silly dog smiling and staring out to the world on each ticket. Each ticket shows the dog’s name and its hometown. It’s got a bone in the middle of the ticket telling you what the top prize is and the top prize is $200,000,” Carey said.

The second-tier prize is $10,000 and the third-tier prize is $1,000, plus there are other prizes of various denominations available to win.

The other cool part is when someone scratches off the tiny little bones on the bottom of the ticket, 32 other dogs will be revealed. These are the contest’s other top vote-getters featured with their photos in the image-match portion of the tickets.

Carey said he scratched off a sample ticket in his office and pulled up a Pomeranian named Billionaire, which he found funny.

Community celebration, Hoboken event and local pride behind “Top Dogs”

So why dogs for this particular scratch-off? Carey said for the past few years, the New Jersey Lottery has been doing something Jersey-themed for its scratch-offs. One year, they had a pork roll ticket, a Shaquille O’Neal ticket, and even Jersey Shore-centric tickets.

“We had a lot of fun this. We try to do things that are about our community. I think the New Jersey Lottery is a really important part of the community and the state, and we try to do things that engage with our community. Most everybody loves dogs, and we thought that this would be a lot of fun,” Carey said.

Players must be 18 or older to play the New Jersey Lottery. Adults are reminded not to gift scratch-offs to minors, Cary reminded everyone.

To commemorate the winning pups, the New Jersey Lottery hosted a press conference last week at Columbus Park in Hoboken. Carey said there was a little red carpet for the pups to walk. About 15 of the “top dogs” showed up.

“It was a lot of fun. I love Hoboken. We had a good time in Hudson County, and we met a lot of dogs,” he said.

While Carey joked around that the top dog in New Jersey, in his opinion, is his own pooch, Gizmo, a Boston terrier/French bulldog mix, he said he had a sweet spot for Teddy, the French Bulldog from Port Monmouth, one of the 18 winners.

Another favorite of Carey’s was Jersey, a Yorkshire Terrier, and Dallas from Browns Mills who “looked bored” as he sat in a chair during the event. But according to Dallas’ owner, that’s his personality. He’ll find a chair and sit in it all day long.

One Top Dog winner's experience

Duke from Roselle Park was another Top Dog. His owner, Alicia Marino was over the moon when Duke was chosen as a winner.

“Being a part of the New Jersey Lottery’s Top Dog contest has been such an incredible experience. We entered Duke because we knew it would be so much fun. The support from our family, friends, and hometown was amazing. The best part was all the kids at Roselle Park High School spreading the word, getting the votes, and cheering Duke on. It brought together the whole community! Seeing Duke and all the other real-life dogs on the scratch-off tickets is exciting,” Marino said.

Each of the winning dogs’ owners received two commemorative scratch-offs of their dog, a swag bag, and, of course, bragging rights.

“I want to thank everyone that participated in the campaign, everybody that submitted their dogs, and everyone that voted. It was a lot of fun,” Carey said.

Carey said if this is successful, he may do another Top Dog contest next year, or maybe he’ll switch gears and do New Jersey’s Top Cats.

However, trying to get a cat to walk the red carpet may be a bit challenging, he quipped.

As always, if you or anyone you know has a gambling problem, please call 1-800-GAMBLER.

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