Mega Millions jackpot races past half a billion to $520 million

October 3, 2025 Posted by NC Lottery at 11:38 AM

The Mega Millions jackpot just crossed a major milestone as it increased to $520 million for Friday’s drawing.

A winner tonight would have the choice of taking home the $520 million jackpot as an annuity or $240.1 million in cash.

Even though the jackpot remains up for grabs, players are taking home lots of other prizes playing Mega Millions. Tuesday’s drawing produced more than 8,900 winning tickets in North Carolina.

The odds of winning a Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 290 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.

The N.C. Education Lottery’s Play Smart™ program helps North Carolinians make the most of their lottery play. Visit ncplaysmart.com to learn about all things lottery, from tips on how odds work to how to enter bonus drawings.

6 COMMENTS

10/05/2025 09:04 - bobbie d.

Well I'm off to buy my ticket now so make sure you spell my name right on the check. BOBBIE JO DUGGER

10/04/2025 11:06 - Yrobal B.

Did I win?

10/04/2025 09:27 - Tancy H.

Where can I find the winners for the digital games?NC Lottery
Hi Tancy, big winners of Digital Instants games are shared on our social media pages. You can see past winners by scrolling through our posts on Facebook, Instagram or X.

10/04/2025 08:54 - Jackie A.

NCEL, I am sorry I should have made it more clear that I wanted to know where can I find the recipient name of the person who collected the money for cash 5 double play. NC Lottery
Hi Jackie, no problem! That information is listed on this page: https://nclottery.com/WinnersCash5 The most recent Cash 5 Double Play win of $50,000 in the Aug 8 drawing was claimed by John Wellborn of Conover on Aug 12. Thanks!

10/03/2025 12:03 - Jackie A.

NCEL, can you tell me where I can find the winners for the Carolina Cash 5 double play?NC Lottery
Hi, Jackie! You can find the number of winners from Cash 5 Double Play at https://nclottery.com/cash5 for the latest draw, and under "Past Draws" you can view the payout for previous drawings.

10/03/2025 11:58 - Brian T.

Here's a headline NCEL "Multi State Lotteries Race to Increase Profits through Organized Syndicates using Computer Generated Results by Predetermining the Winning Numbers to Steal from the Public and Ruin Society".

Mega Millions jackpot races past half a billion to $520 million

October 3, 2025 Posted by NC Lottery at 11:38 AM

Win up to $1,000,000 every 4 minutes

Big Thrills Served Fast.

Progressive Jackpot Estimate