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Mega Millions jackpot reaches record $1 billion

The winning lottery numbers for the largest Mega Millions jackpot ever were drawn Friday night.

Those winning numbers are: 65 53 23 15 70 - 7.

The last winning Mega Millions ticket was claimed July 24.

Thousands of people in Charlotte bought tickets with dreams of what they'd do if they won the record Powerball and Mega Millions jackpot.

The eye-popping numbers for the Powerball are now at $430 million, and the Mega Millions jackpot is up to $1 billion.

"I just want to travel a little bit. I actually want to go to Europe,” lottery player Chika Bloomfield said. “I want to go see Germany because my son's father is from Germany and Hawaii, of course, I just want to lay out in the sun."

"I like to help the homeless,” lottery player Robert Williams said. “I like to help the people I see in line that's starving, trying to get ahead. I'd like to see affordable housing, stuff like that, a billion dollars can help."

If you win both, you land an unbelievable $1.43 billion payday.

"You’ll be seeing me again in the future spending the money,” Charlotte resident Julia Brown said.

With confidence like that and a billion in your pocket, you could buy anything.

“I would definitely try to buy the Panthers, definitely travel. I would travel,” Charlotte resident William Robinson said.

On Friday afternoon, Channel 9 expected to hear more people talk about their big dreams of lavish vacations, but several people said they wanted nothing more than to help the thousands of families that are desperately searching for housing while Charlotte grapples with an affordability crisis.

"We got a bunch of people out there sleeping on the sidewalks,” Charlotte resident Michael Edwards said. “I'd probably try to get a big old building and pay the rent myself."

"I want to build a system of homes. New hope, give people new hope,” Brown said.

The hope of winning a ticket is slim.

The odds of scoring both lottery jackpots are an insane 1 in 88 quadrillion.

It looks even more daunting when written out: 88,000,000,000,000,000.

Some say that no matter how tough the odds, there's still a chance.

"If you're not in it, you can't win it,” gas station manager Kevin Muwakhil said. “That's the chance you take, you just never know where that number may fall, what state, what person. You just never know."

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