The Mega Millions jackpot continues its climb and now stands at $627 million for Friday night’s drawing.

The jackpot represents the ninth largest in Mega Millions history. A winner in tonight’s drawing would have the choice of taking home the $627 million jackpot as an annuity or $309.1 million in cash.

In Tuesday’s Mega Millions drawing, two tickets in North Carolina matched four white balls and the yellow Mega Ball to win $10,000. One ticket, a $3 ticket with Megaplier, doubled to $20,000 when the 2X Megaplier hit. That ticket was bought at the Circle A Food Store on North Main Street in Mount Holly. The $2 ticket worth $10,000 was purchased at Sparks & Sons Service Station on Freeway Drive in Reidsville.

“It is important for players to remember there are nine different ways to win playing Mega Millions,” said Terri Rose, Chief Brand Officer of the N.C. Education Lottery. “We like seeing big wins like the two on Tuesday. Of course, we are all hoping for a jackpot win tonight.”

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

• 29,906: That’s the total number of winning tickets in North Carolina in Tuesday’s Mega Millions drawing
• $8.6 million: That’s the estimate of how much money has been raised for education in North Carolina 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.