Powerball kicks off 2024 with a New Year’s Day drawing that offers a jackpot of $810 million.

The estimated jackpot for the Monday night drawing ranks as the 5th largest for the Powerball game and the 10th largest in U.S. lottery history. A winner could choose the $810 million annuity or a lump sum valued at $408.9 million in cash.

“It’s exciting to start the new year with such a great jackpot up for grabs,” said Mark Michalko, executive director of the N.C. Education Lottery. “We’re hoping for a big New Year’s Day celebration by bringing this jackpot home to North Carolina.”

North Carolinians continue to win big prizes in the drawings as the jackpot climbs.

Three lucky tickets purchased in Stallings, Waynesville, and Granite Falls won big in Saturday’s drawing by matching four of the white balls and the red Powerball, including:
• A $200,000 prize that went to a $3 Power Play ticket sold at the 7-Eleven on Idlewild Road in Stallings in Union County. The initial $50,000 prize quadrupled when the 4X multiplier was drawn.
• A $50,000 prize that went to a $2 ticket sold at The Local Market on Jonathan Creek Road in Waynesville.
• A $50,000 prize that went to a $2 ticket sold at the Murphy Express on Hickory Boulevard in Granite Falls.

Winners have 180 days from Saturday’s drawing to claim their prizes.

Players can buy Powerball tickets at any lottery retail location or through Online Play on the lottery’s website, www.nclottery.com. The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292 million.

Ticket sales from draw games make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $2.8 million a day on average for education. For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website.