CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A North Carolina lottery player is $1 million richer after scoring a huge Mega Millions win, lottery officials said.
A ticket purchased at the Lake Wylie Mini Mart in Gastonia matched all five white balls for a $1 million prize. The winning ticket was among four purchased nationwide that matched all five white balls, beating the odds of 1 in 12.6 million.
Three other Mega Millions players won big in North Carolina, with two people taking home $30,000 and another winning a $10,000 prize. The winners have 180 days to claim their prizes.
No one matched all five white balls and the gold mega ball, driving the Mega Millions jackpot to $630 million. Friday's drawing ranks as the fifth-largest in Mega Millions history.
Should someone hit the $630 million jackpot, they can take that prize as an annuity or a $359.7 million lump sum.
The winning numbers for Tuesday's drawing were 2-31-32-37-70, with a Gold Mega Ball 25.
The Mega Millions jackpot has steadily grown since someone last won in mid-April.
While the prize money is certainly life changing, it's far from breaking lottery records. Last year, a Mega Millions jackpot cracked the $1 billion mark for just the second time. A four-member suburban Detroit lottery club won that $1.05 billion jackpot and chose the lump sum, receiving $557 million after taxes.
The next Mega Millions drawing is on Friday, July 12, at 11 p.m. E.T.
Wake Up Charlotte To Go is a daily news and weather podcast you can listen to so you can start your day with the team at Wake Up Charlotte.
SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts || Spotify || Stitcher || TuneIn || Google Podcasts
All of WCNC Charlotte's podcasts are free and available for both streaming and download. You can listen now on Android, iPhone, Amazon, and other internet-connected devices. Join us from North Carolina, South Carolina, or on the go anywhere.