North Carolina Sees Mega Millions Jackpot Skyrocket to $660 Million

Can you believe just how big the Mega Millions jackpot has grown to in North Carolina???

The North Carolina Education Lottery said this Friday's Mega Millions national drawing will now be worth an estimated $660 million! That's the third-largest jackpot in the 20-year history of the game, according to Lottery officials.

A winner in North Carolina would have a tough choice if they won Friday night: Take the $660 million as an annuity, getting paid all of that over time, or take the lump sum payment of $376.9 million in cash. Tough call, but it would be hard to turn down $376.9 million, even if that is before federal and state taxes.

“What an exciting time to be playing Mega Millions with the third largest jackpot ever up for grabs,” said Mark Michalko, executive director of the N.C. Education Lottery. “Our advice to those hoping to take home that jackpot is to play smart because it only takes one ticket to win. North Carolina saw a $1 million win on Tuesday. Let’s hope for more big wins, maybe even the biggest, on Friday.”

Michalko said that somebody in Gastonia won that $1 million on Tuesday. They haven't claimed it yet, so if you happened to be over there earlier this week, it might be worth checking your tickets.

The odds of winning a Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302.5 million, but that does mean there still is a chance!

Players can buy Mega Millions 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 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.

Nothing is more important for us than getting some shut-eye, and here in North Carolina, we apparently get some of the worst sleep!

It's no secret that the quality of our sleep is important for our health in multiple ways. Good sleep is essential to our physical and mental function, our ability to fight sickness, and to recharge our natural body processes.

The National Sleep Foundation recommends we get about 7-9 hours of sleep each night. However, it appears some states are getting better sleep than others.

A survey by Aeris looked at over 3,000 Americans across 47 states to analyze different aspects of their sleep. Everything from sleeping positions, to air quality, to how long it takes to fall asleep in the first place.

First, they asked respondents to rate the quality of their sleep on a scale of 1-5, with 1 being poor and 5 being excellent.

So which state came out on top with the best quality sleep? That would be the state of Virginia, with an average sleep score of 3.61.

The survey also evaluated different sleep habits across America. For instance, 66% of us sleep on our side. And 54% of us wake up at least 2 times a night! And if you live in the state of Utah, congratulations, you are getting the most sleep per night on average!

Where does North Carolina fall when it comes to good sleep? Here are the best and WORST states for sleeping

3.04 sleep score

3.08 sleep score

3.10 sleep score

3.11 sleep score

3.12 sleep score

3.13 sleep score

3.14 sleep score

3.15 sleep score

3.16 sleep score

3.20 sleep score

3.61 sleep score

3.52 sleep score

3.51 sleep score

3.50 sleep score

3.46 sleep score

3.45 sleep score

3.44 sleep score

3.40 sleep score

3.39 sleep score

3.38 sleep score

So many factors can lead to the superiority or detriment of our sleep. Do you have a good quality pillow? Are you powering down electronic devices an hour before you snooze? Is the air quality and temperature in your home optimal? Regardless, remember there are steps you can take to improve the quality of your sleep, which in turn improves your quality of life! Sweet dreams!