The North Carolina Education Lottery, with
lottery headquarters in Raleigh, is a win-win scenario. The person with the
winning ticket could take home millions, while other participants help fund
education in North Carolina. Since the lottery's inception in 2005, more than
$8 billion has gone to North Carolina schools. Governor Mike Easley signed this
lottery into existence, and 100% of the lottery's net profits benefit the
state's education system. Funds are distributed to causes like school
construction, financial aid, staff salaries, and pre-kindergarten programs. In
2021, the lottery impacted at least 90,000 North Carolina residents and
students throughout the state.
The NC Education Lottery features several
different games. Each has different rules and drawing days. Here is a breakdown
of when drawings occur:
Mega Millions
The Mega Millions drawing is every Tuesday and Friday. The game allows you to pick five numbers from 1 to 70 and one mega ball from 1 to 25. The grand prize rolls over and updates regularly on the lottery website. You can win the main jackpot by matching all five white balls and the one yellow mega ball. The second prize always is $1 million and pays out by matching the five white balls. If you want to increase the prize, you can wager an additional $1 per play in what's known as a Megaplier.
Powerball
The Powerball drawing occurs three times a
week on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Powerball allows you to pick five
numbers from 1 to 69 and one Powerball number from 1 to 26. Powerball jackpots
regularly update in between each drawing. The Powerball offers a $1 million
prize for correctly guessing the five white balls. You can win the Powerball top
prize if you correctly guess all of the balls. However, you can use the Double
Play or Power Play feature for an additional $1 per play, increasing your
overall odds.
Lucky for Life
The Lucky for Life game has a drawing
every day. For a $2 ticket, you have the chance to win $1,000 a day for the
rest of your life. The game has you pick five numbers from 1 to 48. You also
select one Lucky Ball from 1 to 18. If you get all of the balls correct, you
win. If you only get the first five balls correct, you receive the second
prize, which is $25,000 a year for the rest of your life.
Cash 5, Pick 4, and Pick 3
The Cash 5, Pick 4, and Pick 3 games all
have daily drawings. The Pick 4 and Pick 3 games have drawings in the morning
and the evening. The Cash 5 games have players choose five numbers from 1 to 43
for a chance to win up to $100,000. The Pick 4 games have players pick four
numbers from 0 to 9 for a chance to win up to $5,000. The Pick 3 game has
players pick any three numbers from 0 to 9 for a chance to win up to $500.
Each North Carolina Lottery game has a specific schedule. Here are the drawing times and days:
Here are the channels where you can view the North Carolina
Lottery results:
|
Asheville |
WLOS News 13 |
Powerball, Mega Millions, Cash 5, Pick 4, Pick 3 |
|
Charlotte |
WAXN-TV (TV64) |
Powerball, Mega Millions, Cash 5, Pick 4, Pick 3 |
|
Greenville, New Bern, & Washington |
WITN-TV |
Powerball, Mega Millions, Cash 5, Pick 4, Pick 3 |
|
Raleigh |
WRAL-TV |
Powerball, Mega Millions, Lucky for Life, Cash 5, Pick 4, Pick 3 |
|
Winston-Salem, Greensboro, & High Point |
WGHP (FOX8) |
Powerball, Mega Millions, Lucky for Life, Cash 5, Pick 4, Pick 3 |
You can always check the lottery website for updated results. The site also allows you to put in your numbers on individual game pages to see if you won a lottery prize. The NCEL has a mobile app that you can use to check lottery winnings. The app allows you to scan lottery tickets, enter them into the Lucke-Rewards program, and see if you have the winning ticket. You can use the app to customize winning numbers and jackpot notifications for any lotto game.
The odds vary based on the game you play.
Here is a breakdown of the odds by game:
Mega Millions
The odds of you winning any of the Mega Million’s prizes are about 1 in 24. The odds of winning the top jackpot prize are about 1 in 302,575,350. The odds of winning the $1 million second price are 1 in 12,607,306. If you match four numbers, plus the Mega Millions ball, you can win $10,000. The odds for this prize are 1 in 931,001.
Powerball
The odds of winning any prize in Powerball are 1 in 24.87. The jackpot odds for Powerball are 1 in 292,201,338. The odds of winning the $1 million second prize payout are 1 in 11,688,054. If you match four numbers plus the Powerball number, you can win $50,000. The odds for this prize are 1 in 913,129.
Cash 5
The Cash 5 game jackpot has odds of 1 in
962,598. You can win the second prize of $250 by matching four numbers, with
odds of 1 in 5,066. You can win the third prize of $5 by matching three
numbers, with odds of 1 in 136.9.
Pick 4
The Pick 4 odds change based on the prize.
If you match four numbers in the correct order, you can win $5,000, with odds
of 1 in 10,000. If you match the numbers in any order, you can win $1,200, with
odds of 1 in 2,500.
Pick 3
The Pick 3 odds vary based on the prize.
For example, if you get the three numbers in the right order, you win $500. The
odds are 1 in 1,000. If you match the three numbers in any order, you win $160
with odds of 1 in 333.3.
The lotto has several scratch-off games.
The games range in price from $1 to $30. Prizes also vary. For example, the $30
Millionaire Maker game has a top prize of a million dollars. Meanwhile, a $1
game like Lucky 7's has a top prize of $7,000. The games operate on a schedule,
and the lottery website lists which games have prizes remaining. Each
scratch-off game has its own set of rules and odds, which you can find on the
official lottery website or on the cards. New games come out on the first
Tuesday of every month.
You can buy lottery tickets online through
the lottery website or the NC Education Lottery app. To buy a lottery ticket
from a retail store, search for nearby locations on the website using the map
that displays nearby participating retailers. You can find the NCEL Lottery
headquarters at 2728 Capital Blvd, Raleigh, North Carolina.
Unfortunately, the NCEL, will consider a
winner's name, city/county, and the prize amount a matter of public record,
unless the lottery winner produces a valid protective order or Address
Confidentiality Program authorization card.
The official lottery address is
nclottery.com.
If you won under $600 you can claim it at a retailer, regional claim center, NC State Lottery Headquarters or by Mail. If you won $600 to $99,999, you could claim it at regional claim center, NC Lottery Headquarters or by Mail. $100K plus, must be claim at the NC Lotter Headquarters. Before you go to a claim center to claim your prize, you need to sign the back of your original ticket. The ticket is required for all claims and for prizes of $600 or more, you will need:
Yes, you can play the lottery online in
NC. We recommend making purchases through the NC Lottery Official Mobile App,
which is available in the App Store for Apple devices and Android users can
download the app straight from the NC Lottery's website.
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