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Call it the biggest lottery prize in the world that was not. The Mega Millions jackpot announced as the largest of all time with $ 1.6 billion ended up being the second largest with $ 1.537 billion. (October 24)
AP

A person walks past a newsstand with ads for the Mega Millions lottery on October 23, 2018 in New York City.(Photo: Drew Angerer, Getty Images)

UNION COUNTY, N.C. – In North Carolina, nearly twenty colleagues are richer with a Mega Millions draw for Tuesday.

NC Education Lottery said the group's ticket matched five million-dollar white bullets, one of which was sold in North Carolina. The other ticket was bought in Cary.

On a whim, colleagues decided at the last minute to create an office pool.

"We did not even realize how much the tickets were," Katherine Lindsey McIntyre said in a press release. "We just had everyone who wanted to contribute to a dollar."

The group bought 11 Quick Pick tickets from Zoom Express on Skyway Drive in Monroe. After realizing that they had won, colleagues claimed their prize at Raleigh and each won more than $ 32,000 after tax.

More: Do you play in the lottery pool of your office? Get it in writing or get to court

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One of the winners, Barbara Medlin, said that she could now realize her dream of having a second child.

"My husband and I had a lot of fertility problems," said Medlin. "We tried to save enough money to adopt it. We were missing $ 7,000, so that will solve the case. It's a huge relief. "

A woman did not even know that she was part of the pool.

"I heard everyone screaming and screaming," said Marilyn Vaughn. "Another colleague asked me if I was in the pool and I said," Which pool? Apparently, someone had paid a dollar for me. I could not believe it, I was in shock! "

The Mega Millions jackpot ticket, valued at $ 1.537 billion, culminated in a crossroads store in South Carolina.

More: There is a winner! Ticket sold for a $ 1.5 billion Mega Millions jackpot in South Carolina

More: Why we will never know who won the $ 1.5 billion Mega Millions jackpot

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