The $530 million prize is the eighth largest in the game’s 20-year history. A North Carolina winner on Tuesday would have a choice of receiving the $530 million in annuity or $304.7 million in cash. “Every time players see a jackpot surpass the half-billion dollar mark, they start dreaming about how winning it could change their lives,” said Mark Michalko, executive director of the NC Education Lottery. “We know it’s going to be won eventually, and we’d like to see that win come from North Carolina.” While the jackpot continues to roll, players in North Carolina continue to win other prizes. More than 40,000 winning tickets were sold in Friday’s drawing, including a $10,000 ticket that came from the Scotchman on Carolina Beach Road in Wilmington. The odds of winning a Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302.5 million. Players can purchase Mega Millions tickets at any retail lottery location or through Online Play on the lottery website, www.nclottery.com, or with the lottery app, the Official NC Lottery Mobile App. Ticket sales from raffle games make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $2.5 million a day for education. For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in all 100 North Carolina counties, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery website.
