Winning Mega Millions lottery tickets sold in North Carolina

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- The winning $1.5 billion Mega Millions ticket was not sold in North Carolina, but two $1 million tickets were!

North Carolina Education Lottery (NCEL) announced Wednesday morning that two tickets were sold in the state that matched all five white balls in the drawing. Those tickets are worth $1 million

One of those winning tickets was sold in Cary at the Circle K on Harrison Avenue. The other $1 million winner was sold in Monroe, a city in Union County near Charlotte

"We can't wait to meet the two lucky players who won $1 million," said Mark Michalko, executive director of the N.C. Education Lottery. "This record Mega Millions jackpot created a lot of fun and along the way that fun produced a big win for education in our state."

Also in North Carolina, nine people bought tickets worth $10,000 and two bought tickets worth $30,000.

The lucky $30,000 tickets were bought at the Food Mart (Dev Mart) on East Mountain Street in Kernersville and at a Food Lion on Gilead Road in Huntersville.

The nine $10,000 tickets were bought in the following locations:

• Petro Mart, Wayside Road, Raeford.
• Benson Food Mart, East Main Street, Benson.
• Scotchman, N.C. 172, Hubert.
• Sheetz, Yadkinville Road, Mocksville.
• Speedway, N.C. 66 South, Kernersville.
• Sunrise Food & Gas, West 3rd Street, Siler City.
• Lowe's Foods, 29th Avenue Northeast, Hickory.
• Pit Stop, South Main Street, Winston-Salem.
• Huntersville BP, South Statesville Road, Huntersville.

All told, prizes in North Carolina totaled $4.1 million for this drawing.

Thirty-four other tickets won the second-tier prize: eight in California, four each in Florida and New York, two each in Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey and Virginia, and one each in Arizona, the District of Columbia, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin.

The winning numbers are: 5-28-62-65-70 Mega Ball: 5

The North Carolina winners will have to go to the NCEL Headquarters in Raleigh. They must also fill out this form and bring with them a photo ID and social security card.

The winners have 180 days to claim their prize.

Meanwhile, the Mega Millions jackpot will return to $40 million. That's because at least one jackpot winning ticket was purchased.

Tuesday's drawing was initially thought to be the largest jackpot ever, but lottery administrators said the actual jackpot was less than the estimated $1.6 billion. It came in at $1.5 billion which is slightly less than the $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot split between three winning tickets in 2016.

That ticket was sold in South Carolina. However, we may never know who bought the ticket, because South Carolina is one of six states where winners can claim their prize anonymously.