The Mega Millions jackpot just crossed a big milestone and now stands at $560 million for Tuesday night’s drawing.

If won tonight, the $560 million jackpot would rank as the ninth largest in Mega Millions history. A winner would have the choice of taking home the jackpot as an annuity or $258.4 million in cash.

“When a jackpot lands in the top 10 in Mega Millions history, the excitement level among players really starts to rise,” said Mark Michalko, executive director of the N.C. Education Lottery. “Just remember it only takes one lucky $2 ticket to win the whole thing. Good luck tonight.”

Check out how North Carolinians win when they play Mega Millions:

• 23,356: That’s the total number of winning tickets in Friday’s Mega Millions drawing in North Carolina.
• $7.3 million: That’s the estimate of how much money has been raised for education in North Carolina during the current Mega Millions run.

The largest Mega Millions jackpot won so far occurred Aug. 8, 2023 when one ticket sold in Florida captured a $1.6 billion jackpot. The odds of winning a Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302 million.

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

For details on how money raised by the lottery makes a difference for education programs in all 100 North Carolina counties, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.