Powerball, the multistate lottery, is coming to New Jersey as early as next year, state officials said today. An agreement among national lottery overseers will allow states to sell tickets to Powerball in addition to the competing Mega Millions game. For New Jerseyans — who have played Mega Millions since 1999 — it means they no longer will have to travel to Pennsylvania, Connecticut or Delaware, the nearest states that participate in Powerball. Jackpots for both games can top $200 million. Of the top 10 Mega Millions jackpots, New Jerseyans have scored all or part of the winnings three times.

The biggest prize — $390 million, in 2007 — was divided between a Georgia player and a New Jersey player. Also that year, a New Jersey resident was among four people across the country with winning tickets for a $330 million payout, and in 2005 a New Jerseyan won $258 million.

State Treasurer David Rousseau said the Powerball agreement, signed Tuesday, contains a list of details to be worked out, including a starting sales date. Gov. Jon Corzine, who started talking about bringing Powerball to New Jersey in March, had hoped to start on Oct. 1.

The new estimate is early 2010, Rousseau said.

“It’s a milestone [that] lottery players in New Jersey have looked forward to for some time,” Rousseau said in a statement.

Prior to the agreement, states could participate in the 31-state Powerball or 12-state Mega Millions, but not both.

Some states have neither game. The rest, hoping to fill budget gaps, negotiated for both games with the Mega Millions consortium and the Multi-State Lottery Association, which governs Powerball.

The addition of Powerball could propel New Jersey’s lottery revenue to more than $1 billion a year for the first time. That money is spent on education and state institutions, the beneficiaries since New Jersey sold its first lottery ticket in 1970.

In fiscal 2008, the state collected about 36 cents for each lottery ticket sold, for a total of $882 million from all games. Powerball is estimated to bring $40 million each fiscal year, but Rousseau said figures for fiscal 2010 could not be projected until a sales date is scheduled.

Powerball had $1.14 billion in prizes last year; Mega Millions, $1.56 billion. On Oct. 3, a Florida Powerball player was the sole winner of $189 million. The Mega Millions drawing for Friday has an estimated prize of $200 million. Star Ledger