RALEIGH – Someone who played the lottery in Rockwell 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 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.