'Extreme' $1 million prize is best of the week

First things first. Before we rewind the week's lucky lottery winners, we have to talk about the big jackpots up for grabs heading into the weekend.

The largest Cash 5 jackpot in the game's history is on the line Friday night. At $1.4 million, the jackpot eclipses the previous record of $1.35 million that stood for more than six years. If one player wins it all, that person would become the biggest jackpot winner since the game began in October 2006.

Also Friday night, the Mega Millions jackpot annuity weighs in at $74 million ($45.9 million cash). And on the horizon for Saturday's Powerball drawing is a $337 million annuity ($209.1 million cash). We'll be watching the drawings with everyone to see what happens.

A quick note for those of you who play via subscription services. We have received a relatively small number of reports from folks who have not been able to fund their wallets to make purchases through subscription. At this time we do not know the extent of the issue. But it is being worked on and will be resolved as quickly as possible. Because there are exceptionally large jackpots on the line, if you are someone who typically plays through subscription and wants a chance to win in the upcoming drawings, and are having difficulty making a purchase, we would recommend getting a ticket at a local retailer. But if you have already made a purchase through subscription then your'e good to go. Anytime you experience a technical issue, please click on the HELP link at the top of the screen and fill out an ONLINE SUPPORT form. That is the fastest way to notify tech support so they can look into potential issues.

With that, let's talk about the week's biggest prize winners.

Willie Pridgen Sr. is the latest player to win $1 million on an Extreme Millions scratch-off. The Pender County resident bought his lucky ticket at the Freshway Food Mart on U.S. 117 South in Rocky Point.

A Guilford County man took home a check for $200,000 after winning the top prize on a $200,000 Taxes Paid ticket. David Anderson of Colfax bought his winning ticket at the BP on Gallimore Dairy Road in High Point.

Three players who win $50,000 in recent drawings collected their winnings this week.

- Christopher Brown of Wilmington (5/11 Cash 5 draw)
- Angela Holder of Newport (5/27 Powerball draw)
- Yu-Ming Tai of Raleigh (5/24 Powerball draw)

Ernesto Fernandez of Charlotte won the top prize of $25,000 on a $2 Lucke-Rewards Cash ticket.

Eighteen players scratched their way to $10,000:

- Mohamed Alwashishi of Selma (5X The Cash)
- Levi Brothers of Hertford ($200,000 Taxes Paid)
- Gary Cook of Hickory (20X The Cash)
- Coretta Davis of Greensboro (The Big $5 Ticket)
- Watson Dufour of Winston-Salem (Ruby Red 7's)
- Rodney Dumas of Cameron ($1,000,000 Taxes Paid)
- Jennifer Foster of Hendersonville ($5,000,000 Mega Cash)
- Dedrick Garrett of Sanford ($1,000,000 Taxes Paid)
- David Good of Hickory ($5,000,000 Mega Cash)
- Madelyn Hester of Oxford ($5,000,000 Mega Cash)
- Martha Hopewell of New Bern ($10,000 Taxes Paid)
- Michael Hunter of Indian Trail ($5,000,000 Mega Cash)
- Debra Kelley of Charlotte ($5,000,000 Mega Cash)
- Arron Lewis of Graham (Ruby Red 7's)
- Joseph Sutton of Kinston ($5,000,000 Mega Cash)
- Melinda Vanover of Brevard ($400,000 Bonus Cash)
- Johana Vargas of Chimney Rock (Mega Fortune)
- Jennette Williams of Roxboro (20X The Cash)

Sixteen prizes of $5,000 were awarded. Two of the winners are from Charlotte. The other 14 are from: Bayboro, Clayton, Edenton, Erwin, Fayetteville, Hillsborough, Hubert, Kernersville, Roanoke Rapids, Rocky Mount, Sanford, Shallotte, Stem, and Wilmington.

As you may know, for prizes of $100,000 or more, winners must come to lottery headquarters to collect their winnings. Just a reminder that, starting Monday, the Raleigh claims center will be open at its new location at 2728 Capital Boulevard.

Congratulations to this week's winners, and good luck to everyone. Until next time, have a fun and safe weekend.