Three lucky tickets in North Carolina won big Powerball prizes Wednesday night ranging up to $1 million as the Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots continue to grow.

The $1 million win was one of two of the highest prizes won nationally in Wednesday’s drawing. The North Carolina big wins came in Harnett, Iredell and Burke counties. They included:

• A $1 million ticket purchased at Shri Sharda Petroleum on East Stewart Street in Coats in Harnett County. The ticket matched the numbers on all five white balls in the drawing.
• A $100,000 ticket purchased at the Kangaroo Express on Turnersburg Highway in Statesville in Iredell County. The $3 Power Play ticket matched the numbers on four of the white balls and the Powerball. Its $50,000 prize was doubled when the 2X multiplier was drawn.
• A $50,000 ticket purchased at the Walmart on North Green Street in Morganton in Burke County. The $2 ticket matched the numbers on four of the five white balls and the Powerball.

“Having three big wins in one drawing makes for a lucky night for North Carolina,” said Mark Michalko, executive director of the N.C. Education Lottery. “It’s exciting to see. We look forward to meeting those winners and hearing the dreams they have for their prize money.”

In all, more than 22,000 Powerball players in North Carolina won prizes in the drawing with total prizes adding up to $1,278,699. All of the winners have 180 days to claim their prizes.

No one won the jackpot in the drawing so it will grow to $218 million, or $149 million cash, for Saturday’s Powerball drawing. The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292 million.

In Friday’s Mega Millions drawing, the jackpot now exceeds half a billion dollars and ranks as the 9th highest in game history. A winner would receive an estimated annuity jackpot of $515 million, or $346.3 million cash. The odds of winning a Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302.5 million.

Players can buy Powerball or Mega Millions tickets at any lottery retail location, through Online Play on the lottery’s website, www.nclottery.com, or by using the NC Lottery Official Mobile App.

Ticket sales from Powerball and Mega Millions games make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $725 million a year for education. For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website.