A lucky weekend for players of the N.C. Education Lottery produced big wins in each of the lottery’s draw games with more than $11.9 million in prizes including a $1 million win in the Powerball drawing and a record $7.5 million won in the Carolina Pick 4 game.
“Luck can happen anywhere at any time, but we sure saw a lot of North Carolinians get lucky this weekend,” said Alice Garland, executive director of the lottery. “We know people play to win prizes so we’re glad to see so many happy winners. The more people enjoy playing our games the more money we can raise for education.”
Highlights of the lucky weekend drawings, conducted Friday through Sunday, show:
• $7.5 million in prizes for players whose tickets had the winning numbers of 1-1-1-1 in the Saturday evening drawing of the Carolina Pick 4 game. In all, 1,995 winning tickets with prizes ranging from $2,500 for a 50 cent ticket to $5,000 for a $1 ticket. The odds of matching all four numbers to win the $5,000 top prize in the Pick 4 game are 1 in 10,000.
• $1.6 million in prizes for players who had tickets with the winning numbers of 7-7-7 in the Saturday afternoon drawing of the Carolina Pick 3 game. The odds of matching all three numbers to win the $500 top prize in the Carolina Pick 3 game are 1 in 1,000.
• $1.3 million for North Carolina Powerball players in the Saturday drawing, including a $1 million ticket sold in Durham, a $40,000 ticket sold in Jacksonville and a $10,000 ticket sold in Enfield in Halifax County. The odds of matching all five white balls to win $1 million are 1 in 5.1 million. No one won the $259.5 million jackpot so it will climb to an estimated $305 million jackpot on Wednesday.
• A $227,470 jackpot won in the Carolina Cash 5 game on Saturday night’s drawing that was split by two winning tickets sold in Greenville and Charlotte and a $50,000 jackpot that was won in Sunday night’s drawing by a ticket sold in Smithfield. The odds of winning the Carolina Cash 5 jackpot are 1 in 575,757.
• Two $10,000 wins for North Carolina Mega Millions players whose tickets matched four white balls and the Mega Ball in Friday’s drawing. The tickets were sold in Creedmoor and High Point. The odds of matching four white balls and the Mega Ball are 1 in 689,000. No one won the Mega Millions jackpot so it climbs to $36 million on Tuesday.
Players have 180 days to claim their prizes. Prizes of $600 or more must be claimed at one of the lottery’s regional offices. Due to the large number of winners, players could face extended times to complete their claims if they visit a regional office on Monday or Tuesday. Players must bring a Photo ID and proof of their Social Security number to complete their claims. Prizes can also be claimed by mail. For more information on how to make a claim, go to the N.C. Education Lottery website or call Player Services at (877) 962-7529.