'Mega' tix win 52 big prizes on historic jackpot run

What a ride. Four of North Carolina's 16 big-winning tickets Friday night were one Mega Ball away from a piece of history. Three "perfect tickets" - sold in Illinois, Kansas, and Maryland - matched all six numbers to split the $656 million jackpot, ending the record-breaking run.

Players in our state won more than $3 million in the highly anticipated drawing, pushing the Mega Millions prize total to $8.1 million since Jan. 27. Of North Carolina's 735,492 winning tickets in the last 19 drawings, 52 won prizes ranging from $10,000 to $1 million. As players enjoyed the fun of chasing the 'Mega' jackpot, they also helped generate more than $12.9 million for education programs in our state.

Let's take a look at where North Carolina Mega Millions players bought big-winning tickets for last night's drawing. As we mentioned, four tickets sold in our state were just one number shy of winning a share of the world's biggest jackpot. Those tickets, worth $250,000 each, were sold at the following locations:

• The Piggly Wiggly on Richlands Highway in Jacksonville
• The Kroger on Six Forks Road in Raleigh
• The Swift Mart on Marshburn Road in Wendell (Wake County)
• The Seminole Mart on U.S. 421 North in Broadway (Lee County)

A pair of ticketholders who matched four white balls and the Mega Ball added the Megaplier feature to score $30,000 each. Those tickets were sold at the Murphy Express on Lewis Street in Oxford (Granville County), and at the Quality Mart on Piney Grove Road in Kernersville (Forsyth County).

Ten more tickets matched four white balls and the Mega Ball to win $10,000 in Friday's drawing. The stores where those lucky tickets were sold are:

• The Wilco on East Sprague Street in Winston-Salem
• The Quik Chek on Old U.S. 52 North in Welcome (Davidson County)
• The Exxon on Commerce Parkway in Garner (Wake County)
• The Catamount Travel Center on N.C. 441 North in Whittier (Jackson County)
• The Hasty Mart on South Main Street in Wake Forest (Wake County)
• The Sundo Quik Shop on West Seaboard Street in Bladenboro (Bladen County)
• The Sheetz on Ruin Creek Road in Henderson (Vance County)
• The Cornelius BP on Statesville Road in Cornelius (Mecklenburg County)
• The Han-dee Hugo on Benson Road in Garner (Wake County)
• The Hussco on Chapel Hill Road in Durham

We thank our players and retailers for joining us on this 'Mega' roll. North Carolina didn't hit the jackpot this time, as has happened five times before. But we did award millions in prizes, we made a difference for education, and we had a good time along the way. Have a great weekend, everyone, and hope to see you again soon here in the Lucke-Zone.