RELEASE DATE: 11/24/2013
RALEIGH – Someone who played the lottery in the small town of Rockwell in Rowan County won the biggest non-jackpot prize in North Carolina Mega Millions history on Friday night. A lucky ticket, sold at the Kangaroo Express on East Main Street, matched all five white balls in the Nov. 22 drawing to win $3 million.
The ticket was just one gold Mega Ball away from winning the jackpot. Because no ticket sold nationwide matched all six numbers, the jackpot has grown to a $205 million annuity for Tuesday’s drawing. If claimed as a one-time cash payment, the jackpot would be worth $110.6 million.
Matching all five numbers on a $1 Mega Millions ticket is worth $1 million. But, because the player added the $1 Megaplier feature and the Megaplier in the drawing was 3X, the ticket is worth $3 million. Whoever bought it has 180 days from the date of the drawing to claim the prize at lottery headquarters in Raleigh.
Changes to Mega Millions – including a new number matrix, bigger starting jackpots, and bigger prizes for matching all five white balls – went into effect in October. It took just 10 drawings for a North Carolina ticket to win a substantially bigger prize under the new rules. Previously, the ticket would have been worth $750,000.
The Friday night drawing produced the new game’s first $3 million ticket. Mega Millions is played in 43 states and the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Mega Millions drawings are held at approximately 10:59 p.m. on Tuesday and Friday each week. Two North Carolina players have won Mega Millions jackpots since the game started here in 2010.
Media contact: North Carolina Education Lottery, Van Denton, (919) 301-3308