North Carolina Man Wins Massive Mega Millions Jackpot

Whenever I read "North Carolina man wins Mega Millions jackpot," I get excited. And I have hope. You see, I always say I'm going to start playing more scratch-off tickets from the North Carolina Education Lottery, but I never do. I'm a big prize guy. I don't do it often, but when I do invest in the lottery it's always PowerBall or Mega Millions.

Craig Adolff of Kernersville, North Carolina is a man after my own heart. He purchased a Quick Pick ticket (my method of choice, too, btw) using Online Play. I've never done that. Perhaps I need to alter my method of operation. Anyway, Adolff managed to match all 5 white balls in the April 23 Mega Millions drawing.

That means $1 million. Wait, here's where I wanted to put my arms around Craig Adolff and call him my brother in lottery playing. Craig paid the extra fee for the "Megaplier" feature of MegaMillions. This is a number that is drawn each time and for the purchaser, it multiplies the jackpot. In this case, that Megaplier number was 4. Hello, just like that $1 million turned into $4 million.

Keep in mind there was no winner in the MegaMillions drawing that night. There hasn't been any winner since, for that matter. In fact, tonight, the jackpot is worth $421 million. THAT is life-altering, generational wealth. That's way too much to dream. I'm not greed like that. I just want' to be Craig Adolff. Here's what $4 million is.

After Uncle Sam and the State of North Carolina each took their taste, my brother from another mother in Forsyth County took home a sweet sum of $2.8 million. That may not be generational wealth, but it is most assuredly life-altering.

Think about it. One could buy a brand new, good size home AND vacation home, pay off everyone they owe AND STILL deposit between $1.8 and $2 million in the bank. You probably wouldn't quit your job, but you won't have any more times where there's too much month at the end of the money. And how great would that feel?

My dream of be Craig Adolff continues with tonight's drawing.

There are some states that are luckier than others. There is no doubt about it. North Carolina made the list of 15 lucky states in the United States, according to OLBG. Everyone has fantasized about winning the lottery, whether it's the Mega Millions or the Powerball. Whether you're planning a lavish vacation, buying a house, treating a loved one, giving to charity, or all of the above, when we buy a ticket we always have a little bit of hope and our imaginations go wild when we hear about the unclaimed winning ticket...

When it comes to winning big on the lottery, which states are the luckiest? To determine where in America has the greatest likelihood of winning the big bucks, OLBG analyzed all lottery winners in the U.S. with a jackpot of $300 million or more. You can see the top 15 states below.

California was ranked 12th luckiest state despite having the highest number of big lottery winners, primarily because the state has such a large population that there are very few lottery winners, and the average winning ticket for a California winner is only $190.5 million.

North Carolina has won a whopping $1.1 billion between both lottery winners, making its average winning ticket $550 million, the highest in the country. As a result of its higher population, North Carolina didn't quite capture the title by itself, with a lower percentage of its population winning than New Hampshire.

In terms of lottery jackpot winners, New Hampshire and North Carolina share the gold for the luckiest states. Residents in New Hampshire have won a total of $693.7 million, which is an average of $346.85 million per winning ticket. As one of the states with the highest percentage of people who have won over $300 million, New Hampshire has the third smallest population.