In two years, 30 Powerball wins of $1 million or more

January 18, 2014 Posted by NC Lottery at 12:43 PM

Saturday, Jan. 18 marks the two-year anniversary of the new Powerball game. There has been a lot to celebrate here in North Carolina in that time, including 28 wins of $1 million and two wins of $2 million.

Back in October, we announced that the Power Play multiplier would be making a comeback, and the time has come. Beginning Wednesday night, adding the $1 Power Play to a ticket gives you the chance to multiply many prize amounts by 2X, 3X, 4X, or 5X – whichever multiplier happens to be drawn.

The change means $100 prizes can be multiplied to as much as $500 and $10,000 prizes to as much as $50,000.

No changes occur with the game’s odds, number matrix, or ticket price. A Powerball ticket will continue to cost $2 and purchasing the Power Play option will remain an additional $1. Jackpot and “Match 5” prizes are also unaffected.

North Carolina has had three Powerball jackpot winners of $74.5 million to $141.4 million. With each drawing, another millionaire could be made in the Tar Heel State. Good luck!

42 COMMENTS

1/31/2014 05:34 - Monte W.

Actually the dental health was geared more toward the conspiracy theorist and not necessarily the actual ones who just need a little guidance. And congrats to the fellow Alamance county winner who hit on a 100K scratcher this month! Way to go neighbor!

1/27/2014 03:50 - Monte W.

Lucke Zone, I didn't know the new little machines determined whether one wins or not! I thought they told us if our ticket won or lost just like the clerk would do using the big machine! I can say it has cut down on the winners I found in the trash since others can see if they won before tossing the ticket! But hey I digress, Those boxes are pretty good to help many who seem to have problems understanding the games or seeing a winning combination. It also helps those who play the online games who don't have access to a computer. You must use a mouthpiece to keep from clenching and grinding your teeth down when at work! NC Lottery
Glad to hear you like the ticket checkers! As time goes on, we hope to add as many convenience features for players as we can. As for our dental health, we're just fine! We understand why folks have questions :-)

1/25/2014 07:53 - bryan h.

I know they say play for the fun of it, but ncel has taken all the fun out of it, it's not fun everytime u scratch and throw away these new machines y'all put in , probably won't last long all it says sorry no winner , didnt need it because theirs a 90% chance it will be an loser. NC Lottery
Depends what game you play, right? Odds of 1 in 4 of winning at least a break-even prize means that 75% of the tickets are non-winning tickets. That's where the prize money comes from that players have a chance to win playing the lottery. If you are comfortable with the idea you have to beat the odds to win a prize, then we hope you have fun playing; if that doesn't sound like fun to you, then we understand your decision not to play and wish you the best.

1/24/2014 10:43 - JULIA J.

I love the $20 scratch offs, I played big and hopefully in the very near future I will win big. Keep 'em $20 ones coming.

1/24/2014 03:30 - clara m.

Is debit cards accepted? NC Lottery
At this time, debit cards are not accepted for subscription-based purchases.

1/24/2014 11:41 - Barbara K.

Could we have a location of the 30 powerball winners? NC Lottery
If you visit our main website, and click on the "NEWS" link at the very top, you can review all our stories of winners of $100,000+, including the $1 million Powerball wins going back the last two years.

1/24/2014 11:02 - Roger K.

Hey! Have there been any winners since the online subscriptions been started? NC Lottery
There have definitely been winners of Powerball via the subscription service, but none of $10,000+ yet; subscription-based Powerball players make up a fraction of Powerball players overall. But if we ever have one of $10k+, we'll be sure to announce it!!! Good luck to you in this weekend's games, 1R2K :)

1/24/2014 05:47 - Fred F.

Glad you did not change the numbers foremat as "Mega" did just to have bigger jackpots and less winners.People who play should have a chance to win and not be just about large jackpots!!

1/23/2014 11:55 - Susan B.

I really don't understand the philosophy of making lottery prizes more money and odds of winning lower. I'm sure there have been studies done... and I know that large prizes draw non-regular players into the game. But in my opinion, I would much prefer to have a 300 million jackpot be.. instead.... 10 winners of 30 million dollars each. Or 20 winners of 15 million dollars each. Or 30 winners of 10 million dollars each. I would much rather have better odds of winning a smaller prize. Who wouldn't want to win $10 million? I don't get it.... NC Lottery
You have just explained why the folks in charge decided to make the changes. Some people would rather have better odds of winning less enormous prizes, but history shows more players like playing for REALLY big jackpots. Hopefully we have some games where you like the odds/prize combinations :)

1/23/2014 11:11 - Dennis C.

Go ahead and just eliminate the winners list altogether. If it is not up to date it is of no use to us as players. Huge step backwards with this new procedure. NC Lottery
Again, sorry to hear you are disappointed. We would invite you to go ahead and call our player customer service team to explain your point of view so that it will be recorded in their log of feedback from players: 877-962-7529

1/23/2014 06:40 - Fanown R.

I really like this service. I really get excited when I see an email from NCEL stating that I won in a drawing, even though it's been $5.00 and below. I'm still excited and love playing. I didn't know that we could enter our losing store bought scratch offs. I've spent hundreds on those. NC Lottery
Glad to hear you like the subscription service! And good luck to you entering your tickets here in the Lucke-Zone for Lucke-Rewards points :)

1/22/2014 07:35 - Rhonda S.

Can't wait til I win big.

1/22/2014 07:35 - Lewana M.

Happy for all the winners. If I should ever win I'm buying my dream vehicle. 2014 Ford Explorer.

1/22/2014 03:30 - Ronald C.

Just keep on trying oldman. Played my indoor temperature reading of 72.3 on the pick 3 and won two days later. You just never know what you might hit. Yes, air conditioners in the arctic is still a better bet!

1/22/2014 12:52 - Dorcas B.

i am Happy for the winners

1/22/2014 09:16 - raymond g.

in all honesty in playing the lottery for 35 years,between NY and NC my luck is nil.. I think I have a better chance selling a Eskimo a air condition in the middle of a blizzard at 30 below zero.... p. s. still trying for the next 35 yrs.

1/21/2014 08:39 - Barbara B.

BRING BACK WHERE YOU PURCHASE CASH 5 TICKETS AND YOU WIN A CAR I THINK IT WAS FORD MUSTANGS THAT WAS GIVEN AWAY ALSO WHAT ABOUT DRAWING FOR NICE VACATIONS AND CONCERT TICKET PACKAGES! NC Lottery
Our product development team is always looking at different ways to offer prizes that players are interested in. Stay tuned; this spring we have a ticket coming out with some cool trips you can win instantly + through second-chance drawing.

1/21/2014 06:40 - Pamela M.

I love the convenience of the online subscriptions. But since I don't stop at the store weekly to buy my tickets, I haven't gotten Bonus Buck drawing numbers since December. Please consider giving us entry into the drawing when we use the subscriptions. (After all, we are saving you a store payout if we win from online entries) NC Lottery
Hi Pamela - It's not possible for the lottery to offer the promotions via subscription at this time. We do appreciate all our players so thanks for the question and best of luck

1/21/2014 03:27 - Patricia P.

I really, Really, REALLY like the Subscription Service for Lucky Zone members !!!! SOOOOooo Easy and still having fun. THANK YOU !!! :-) NC Lottery
Thanks very much for taking time to let us know that you like it.

1/21/2014 01:57 - willie s.

i am so happy for all of the winners

1/21/2014 09:57 - TERESA G.

THIS IS MY SEASON TO JOIN THE MILLIONAIRES! I AM SO HAPPY FOR ALL OF THE WINNERS.

1/21/2014 07:59 - MR. Kenneth R.

ooooo yea now i may have a better chance

1/21/2014 04:50 - Nick P.

Dear NC lottery, I have an idea I would like to propose. Have you considered taking away the 20 dollar tickets in order to better the overall odds of lower priced lottery games. Even if large prizes may have to be a little bit harder to hit, I think this is a good idea because in south Carolina their 10 dollar tickets have the same overall odds of winning as a 20 dollar ticket here. I think this idea should also be presented in a survey with other players to see if the overall majority of NCEL agrees with this idea. NC Lottery
With instant scratch-off games, as the ticket price goes up, the odds improve. $20 games are very popular so they will not be going anywhere. Thank you for taking time to share your feedback with us.

1/21/2014 04:20 - Sean T.

OMG, I think the name says it all!

1/21/2014 01:56 - Ann H.

Why was the subscription being charged 3.00 per drawing if the Power Play was not in effect? NC Lottery
We should have phrased that better. The Power Play never went away, just the multiplier. In January of 2012, the multiplier prizes were replaced with fixed prize amounts. But now the multiplayer is coming back.

1/20/2014 12:19 - Beverly Kelly J.

That a great a way to win even more money.

1/19/2014 07:23 - Candy W.

We are still looking to find some one to hit the big one in NC and not just 1 million dollars!

1/19/2014 05:17 - Quinton G.

That's wonderful

1/19/2014 03:42 - Stephen F.

Thanks for bringing it back, Hope it's here to stay for a least the next year or two!!!!

1/19/2014 02:57 - tina p.

Wish me luck, im a poor girl.

1/19/2014 02:31 - jeff l.

Wished I was 31 or32 on list

1/19/2014 11:48 - holly f.

I would love to WIN some of my MONEY back.

1/19/2014 11:32 - Thomas K.

When did the multiplier go away? I always play the power-play since the PowerBall started in NC. Now I hear its coming back? NC Lottery
The Power Play never went away, just the multiplier. Power Play prizes were shifted to set amounts when Powerball changed in Jan. 2012. But now, the multiplier is back :-)

1/19/2014 10:15 - Victoria W.

Will the Cash 5 Bonus Drawing be an ongoing promotion? The reason I asked, when I get my cash 5, I want to do 5 days in advance with 5 plays. The only that's wrong if I do that, I only receive 1 entry ticket for the bonus draw. If I stop at the store each day with 5 draws on a ticket I get my bonus draw ticket. If the promotion is going to be an on going thing would you consider putting the weekdays(Mon, Tue, Wed etc,) on the cash 5 ticket like pick 3,4 on the ticket so I can play in advance plus get my bonus draw ticket. I am trying to prevent from stopping to the store every day. If the cash 5 bonus drawing will end soon disregard this question. NC Lottery
The Cash 5 Bonus Bucks drawings are going to continue :-) As for your other suggestion, can you call the player hotline to explain what you'd like to see? 877-962-7529

1/19/2014 07:12 - Roger K.

Really glad that the multiplier is coming back!!!! Too bad it's not going to work when you win 5 numbers correct like Mega Millions! But the rest of the numbers from 4+PB numbers on down won't be to bad though! Like the change on the question we ask and y'all put the answer with our questions! That's nice! I won't have to keep going back through the question to read and then scroll back down the list looking for the answer. No wins on PB last night[Saturday] but did win 2 bucks on Cash 5! Still looking for the BIG one!! Good Luck all! Have a Blessed Day! NC Lottery
Glad you like the new reply system.. we like it too!

1/18/2014 10:38 - jacqueline b.

Always loved that multiplier!!!! Thanks for bringing it back.

1/18/2014 08:45 - Lisa W.

If I could only win something! it would be nice....and I'm stoked that the power play is making a comeback!!!!

1/18/2014 07:33 - ADELAIDA S.

hooray, that will give us more incentive to play regularly.

1/18/2014 05:57 - shaking c.

that me sha-king unique canady

1/18/2014 05:19 - Ronald C.

Not a bad percentage considering the number of states involved. Go Carolina and Panthers too!

1/18/2014 04:29 - Rosa D.

I am glad to see the power-play multiplier come back.

1/18/2014 12:53 - jose m.

Sounds great maybe more people can get more big prizes.

In two years, 30 Powerball wins of $1 million or more

January 18, 2014 Posted by NC Lottery at 12:43 PM

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