Peter Eckel of Asheville tried his luck on a $2 Mega Millions ticket and won a $1 million prize.
Eckel bought his lucky ticket for the April 23 drawing from Enmarket on Tunnel Road in Asheville. His ticket matched all five white balls to win the $1 million prize. The odds of that win are 1 in 12.6 million.
He arrived at lottery headquarters Thursday to claim his prize and, after required federal and state tax withholdings, he took home $715,001.
The jackpot for Friday’s Mega Millions drawing is $522 million as an annuity, or $241.4 million in cash. The odds of winning a Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302 million.
Mega Millions is one of six lottery games in North Carolina where players have the option of buying tickets at a retail location or with Online Play through the lottery’s website or the NC Lottery Official Mobile App.
For details on how $11.3 million raised by the lottery made a difference for education programs in Buncombe County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.