RALEIGH – Someone in North Carolina could end 2022 with a big bang if in Friday’s Mega Millions drawing they took home a jackpot now worth an estimated $640 million.

The winner could choose the jackpot as a $640 million annuity paid over 29 years or a lump sum of $328.3 million. At $640 million, the jackpot ranks as the sixth largest in Mega Millions game history.

“Winning a jackpot like that would be quite a way to end 2022,” said Mark Michalko, executive director of the N.C. Education Lottery. “Holidays are a time for fun so play for fun. You only need one ticket to win a prize that would make 2023 a life-changing year.”

Players have already won Mega Millions jackpots six times this year. The last win occurred on Oct. 14 when two tickets in Florida and California split a $502 million jackpot. The odds of winning a Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302.5 million.

Each drawing offers nine ways to win. In Tuesday night’s drawing, two lucky tickets in North Carolina matched four white balls and the yellow Mega Ball to win $10,000. The tickets were purchased in Raleigh at the Harris Teeter on Creedmoor Road and in Hoke County at the Lucky Stop on Aberdeen Road in Raeford.

The New Year’s weekend also offers a second chance at a big jackpot on Saturday. Powerball’s New Year’s Eve jackpot weighs in as a $246 million annuity or $128.5 million cash. The odds of winning a Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292 million.

Players can buy Mega Millions or Powerball tickets at any lottery retail location or through Online Play on the lottery’s website, www.nclottery.com, or with the lottery’s app, the NC Lottery Official Mobile App.

Ticket sales from draw games make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $2.5 million a day on average for education. For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website.