New Jersey’s special 1976 Bicentennial Lottery paid its winner $1,776 per week for 20 years.
The unusual prize used the number 1,776 to echo the year of the Declaration of Independence. The weekly payments were made before taxes and continued for two decades, giving the advertised prize a total value of $1,847,040.
The lottery was one of many commercial and civic promotions tied to the United States Bicentennial. During the mid-1970s, organizations used patriotic colors, historical symbols, and the numbers 1776 and 1976 to connect products and events with the anniversary.
The prize should not be confused with a single lump-sum award. Its defining feature was the regular weekly payment, and the advertised total was calculated by multiplying $1,776 by 1,040 weeks, or 20 years. The promotion was operated by the New Jersey Lottery.