Last year, the lottery’s $3.8 billion in sales raised $936 million for education. However, that is only a fraction of the $11 billion in North Carolina’s education budget.
The Mega Millions lottery jackpot is up to $1.28 billion ahead of Friday night’s drawing.
The giant jackpot is the nation’s third-largest prize and is the result of 29 consecutive drawings without anyone matching all of the game’s six numbers. That last time someone hit the Mega Millions jackpot was April 15.
“You only need one ticket to win,” said North Carolina Lottery corporate communications director Van Denton.
The surge in Mega Millions ticket sales has already brought in $17 million for education in North Carolina.
Last year, the lottery’s $3.8 billion in sales raised $936 million for education, but that is only a fraction of the $11 billion in the state’s education budget.
“I think the most common misconception about the NC Education Lottery is that it is supplying a lot of funding to schools,” said WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie.
