Lottery players can have fun this week going for two jackpots that total $1.54 billion.
Tonight’s Powerball drawing offers the first big opportunity with a jackpot worth $900 million as an annuity or $465.1 million in cash. The jackpot represents the third largest in the game’s history and the seventh largest in U.S. history.
Tuesday night’s Mega Millions drawing features a jackpot worth $640 million as an annuity or $328 million in cash. That jackpot ranks as the seventh largest in the game’s history.
“This week could be life-changing for someone in North Carolina with two different massive jackpots up for grabs,” said Mark Michalko, executive director of the N.C. Education Lottery. “For all the new players trying their luck, remember there are nine different ways to win so check your tickets carefully after each drawing.”
Friday’s Mega Millions drawing saw a huge win when one lucky ticket matched all five white balls to win $1 million. The $2 ticket came from the Food Lion on Highland Street in Mount Holly in Gaston County. The $1 million prize was one of three won in Friday’s drawing with the other two wins in California. One other nice win occurred in the drawing when a ticket purchased in Guilford County using Online Play matched four of the five white balls and the yellow Mega Ball to win $10,000.
Saturday’s Powerball drawing saw more big wins in the state as two tickets matched four white balls and the red Powerball to win $50,000 in the drawing. The wins occurred:
• In Raleigh with a ticket bought at Peace Street Market on West Peace Street
• In Huntersville with a ticket bought at Sam’s Mart on Cane Creek Drive
The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292 million. The odds of winning a Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302 million.
Players can buy Powerball or Mega Millions tickets at any lottery retail location or through Online Play on the lottery’s website, www.nclottery.com.
Ticket sales from draw games make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $2.5 million a day on average 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.