No Christmas Mega Millions winner, but Powerball another chance at huge win

DeJuan Hoggard Image
Wednesday, December 26, 2018
Lottery fever building as jackpots rise
Lottery fever building as jackpots rise.

KNIGHTDALE, N.C. (WTVD) -- People hoping for a Christmas lottery miracle were disappointed Tuesday.

Nobody won the Mega Millions lottery drawing, increasing the estimated jackpot to $348 million.

Tuesday night's numbers were: 8, 42, 50, 43, and 2, and the Mega Ball was 6.

Meanwhile, the Powerball lottery also has a large prize. The estimated jackpot for Wednesday night's drawing is $294 million.

Retiree Robert Harris comes to Eagles Express in Knightdale every day to play various lottery games.

"I just get tired of sitting up around the house. So I take a ride up here, ya know? Play a couple numbers a couple times," he said.

"It's cool to see people come in and try to guess, 'hey I'm going to win' and they actually do win," Dennis Medlin, an Eagles Express employee. "Because I know some people really need it. And it's good to see people win who really need it."

Related: 10 largest jackpots in history

Gary Sidberry matched five numbers in the early 2000s when he played in Virginia's lottery. The luck has continued into the end of 2018: "If it's doing the right thing for the schools, it's OK with me. I'll play it," he said.

The last time someone won the Mega Millions jackpot was in October. A single winning ticket was sold in South Carolina for $1.5 billion, but nobody has yet claimed the lottery's largest ever prize. https://abc11.com/finance/winning-ticket-sold-in-sc-for-$15b-mega-millions/4534667/

If the prize isn't claimed by late April, the money will return to the 44 states that hold Mega Millions lotteries.

Meanwhile, Harris said that if he wins, he feels like he will inherit a lot of new family members.

"People I ain't never seen before," he laughed. "Hey cuz!"

Related: Things to consider if you win the lottery