Combined Powerball, Mega Millions jackpots exceed $500 million

Lottery players in North Carolina have a chance to win over half a billion dollars in jackpots this weekend.

Together, the Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots exceed $500 million.

The Powerball jackpot has been growing since Oct. 4 and now stands at $353 million, which is a cash value of $256 million. In October, a winning ticket sold in California won a $699.8 million jackpot, the fifth largest in Powerball history.

The Mega Millions jackpot stands at an estimated $160 million as an annuity, or $115.7 million in cash.

On Saturday, a Lincoln County man won $100,000 in Saturday’s Powerball drawing. That was the sixth time that someone in North Carolina won a prize between $100,000 and $1 million since the Powerball jackpot was last won on Oct. 4.

Players can buy Powerball or Mega Millions tickets in participating retail stores or at www.nclottery.com.

This holiday season, the N.C. Education Lottery is teaming up with the N.C. Problem Gambling Program, reminding players not to purchase lottery tickets as gifts for minors under 18.

“The evidence clearly shows that exposure to gambling as a youth increases the probability of gambling problems later in life," said Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling.