The Mega Millions jackpot keeps on climbing as players in North Carolina can play for a $522 million prize this weekend.

A winner in Friday night’s drawing would have the choice of taking home the $522 million jackpot as an annuity or $241.4 million in cash.

“What an exciting time to be a Mega Millions player in North Carolina with a jackpot of that size up for grabs,” said Mark Michalko, executive director of the N.C. Education Lottery. “We all are hoping to see a big win in North Carolina tonight. Good luck.”

Check out how North Carolinians win when they play Mega Millions:

• 20,855: That’s the total number of winning tickets in Tuesday’s Mega Millions drawing in North Carolina.
• $6.8 million: That’s the estimate of how much money has been raised for education during the current Mega Millions run.

The odds of winning a Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302 million.

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 NC Lottery Official Mobile App.

For details on how money raised by the lottery makes a difference for education programs in all 100 North Carolina counties, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.