Matthew Simmons of Charlotte became the latest North Carolinian to collect a big Mega Millions prize Thursday when he picked up a $1 million prize.
He purchased his winning ticket for the July 2 drawing from the 7-Eleven on Freedom Drive in Charlotte.
Simmons’ $2 ticket matched the numbers on all five white balls to win the $1 million prize. The odds of matching all five white balls in a drawing are 1 in 12.6 million.
He claimed his prize Thursday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh and took home $707,501 after required federal and state tax withholdings.
No one won Friday’s Mega Millions jackpot. The jackpot stands at $179 million as an annuity or $129.5 million cash for Tuesday’s drawing. The odds of winning a Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302 million.
Players can buy Mega Millions tickets through Online Play on the lottery’s website, www.nclottery.com, with the NC Lottery Official Mobile App, or at any lottery retail location.
Ticket sales from draw games like Mega Millions make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $900 million per year for education. For details on how $60.5 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Mecklenburg County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.