Mega Millions players in North Carolina can try their luck on a $582 million jackpot Tuesday night, the ninth largest in the game’s history.

A winner in tonight’s drawing would have the choice of taking home the $582 million jackpot as an annuity or $286.9 million in cash.

“Any time a jackpot reaches the top 10 in Mega Millions history, players really start to get excited,” said Terri Rose, Chief Brand Officer of the N.C. Education Lottery. “We all have our fingers crossed that a lucky North Carolinian wins that life-changing prize tonight. Good luck.”

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

• 26,282: That’s the total number of winning tickets in Friday’s Mega Millions drawing
• $8 million: That’s the estimate of how much money has been raised for education during the current Mega Millions run

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.