Pineville man wins $1 million in Mega Millions drawing

PINEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- A Pineville man won $1 million after asking one of his sons to choose the numbers he played in Tuesday night's Mega Millions drawing.

Morris said he doesn't normally play the Mega Millions lottery but decided to give it a try when he saw the jackpot amount. He found out he won after hearing a $1 million ticket was bought in Pineville and that no one had claimed the prize.

"I started hyperventilating," he told NC Education Lottery. "I called my wife at work and told her to come home right away."

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Morris matched the numbers on all five white balls to win $1 million. He bought the ticket from the 7-Eleven on South Polk Street in Pineville. After required federal and state tax withholdings, Morris took home $712,501.

"We want to buy some land up in the Smoky Mountains where my wife is from," Morris said.

Friday's estimated jackpot amount is $1.35 billion or $659.5 million in cash. It ranks as the second largest in the game's history and the fourth largest in U.S. history, according to the NC Education Lottery.

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