Ahead of $363 million jackpot, our ‘Mega’ winners

A string of 17 straight rolls have propelled the Mega Millions jackpot to $363 million for tonight’s drawing making it the largest prize North Carolina players have ever had the chance to win.

If won by a ticket in our state, the $363 million annuity would more than double the largest lottery prize ever awarded here. In all, five North Carolina players have beaten the odds to win a Mega Millions or Powerball jackpot.

As we look ahead to the biggest jackpot in state history tonight, we’ve got some fun trivia about ‘Mega’ winners from across the state:

• A Wilmington woman claimed the first $250,000 prize in March 2010
• Two dozen prizes of $250,000 have been awarded to players in our state
• A Surry County man claimed the first $500,000 prize in April 2010
• A Durham man claimed the first $1 million prize in May 2010
• A Greensboro man claimed the first jackpot of $12 million in July 2010
• Another $500,000 prize was awarded to a player from Montgomery County in August 2010
• A group of 10 coworkers from the Macon County area claimed $250,000 in March 2011
• A Greenville man claimed the second jackpot of $57 million in October 2011
• A group of 10 coworkers from the Hickory area claimed $250,000 in February 2012
• $1 million wins have been awarded to players from Durham, Wake, Alleghany, Alamance, Guilford, Nash and Union Counties

So that’s the history of Mega Millions winners in North Carolina so far. Now the question is: Will another North Carolinian make history tonight? We’ll be watching the Mega Millions drawing with you to find out!