Feeling lucky? Mega Millions jackpot at $355 million

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Tonight is the night if you’re looking to win some big bucks. All you have to do is match the numbers on the five white balls and the gold Mega Ball.

Tonight’s Mega Millions jackpot is up to $355 million. It’s the highest its been in more than three years.

“Ttoday has been crazy with the Mega Millions tickets,” said Melinda Muldrow, a cashier at the Stop and Go on Market Street in Wilmington. “They are buying five and six and seven at a time. Everyone’s wanting a piece of that $330 million.

Muldrow said folks usually just stop in and buy Pick 3 tickets.

Today it’s not even Pick 3, it’s just Mega Millions, and I’ve seen so many new faces coming in and buying tickets,” Muldrow said.

Many customers say they typically don’t buy Mega Millions tickets, but with the jackpot so high, they thought why not?

For richard hughes, the drawing fell on a special day for him. It’s his birthday. He said he has several people he could spend the money on.

“I’ve been married going on 61 years,” Hughes said. “I have 18 children and 45 grandchildren.”

For others such a huge sum meant plenty of options.

“I’d donate it all to charity, and then I’d buy myself a new car probably,” Quentin Kerr said. “Who knows? I can’t even really comprehend that much money.”

The North Carolina Education Lottery says the odds of matching numbers on the five white balls and one gold Mega Ball are one in 176-million. Some folks say it’s just not worth it.

“The odds are more against me than they are for me,” CFCC student Maurice Harrison said. “You know what I’m saying? The money I spent on that could’ve been something that could’ve kept a bill from being cut off.”

So far, 18 Mega Millions tickets sold in North Carolina have led to wins of $250,000 or more. Only four Mega Millions jackpots have exceeded $300 million.

The drawing is at 11 p.m. Good luck!