New 1-OFF free ticket promotion starts March 1

March 1, 2015 Posted by NC Lottery at 9:24 AM

Starting this Sunday through March 31, players who purchase a Pick 3 or Pick 4 ticket have the chance to instantly receive a free 1-OFF ticket at no additional charge.

How do you get a free ticket? Just make a Pick 3 or Pick 4 purchase and, if your purchase occurs at the right time as tickets are sold across the state, you’ll be the lucky person who gets a free chance to play 1-OFF.

You will know you are the lucky one because you’ll hear a sound effect coming from the lottery terminal. So keep your ears open! That’s the fun of this new promotion. You’ll never know when a purchase might earn you a free 1-OFF ticket.

As a reminder, 1-OFF isn't an "add-on" feature like Sum It Up. It's a new play type, like Exact, Any and 50-50. If you want to play 1-OFF as well as your normal Pick 3/Pick 4 numbers, make sure you purchase your regular ticket with an Exact or Any play type in addition to a 1-OFF ticket.

To win a prize in the 1-OFF play type, at least one of your numbers must be one number up or one number down (1-OFF) from one or more of the winning numbers.

In Pick 3, one, two or all three of your numbers can be 1-OFF to win a prize. In Pick 4, one, two, three or all four of your numbers can be 1-OFF to win a prize.

The winning numbers must be drawn in the same order as the number you chose. For example, if you choose 156 and the number drawn is 256, then you win! If you choose 561, then you would not win as the numbers aren't in the same order drawn.

Remember, the easiest way to see what you can win is to look right at your ticket. Every potential winning number is printed along with the corresponding prize amount.

Best of luck, everyone!

54 COMMENTS

3/30/2015 01:22 - romanda d.

I hvnt won nthg yet!am waitin patient on that big win!!!

3/19/2015 09:35 - REGINA B.

I SEE WHY THERE ARE SO MANY QUESTIONS ASKED ABOUT SOME OF THE NCEL GAMES OF CHANCE. WHY NOT SHOW ON THE TICKET AT PURCHASE AND IF YOU ARE ONE UP OR ONE DOWN,LET IT PAY OFF AN AMOUNT. EX: 123 FOR 50 CENTS BOX AND A WINNING NUMBER GENERATED ON THE TICKET IS 234 THEN THE PURCHASER WOULD WIN $20.00 WHICH IS HALF 0F THE TOTAL. THE AMT WOULD DEPEND ON THE NUMBER. THE PUBLIC ENJOY PLAYING AND SUPPORTING THE NCEL,BUT YOU GUYS ARE SOMETIMES COMPLICATING. BE MORE SIMPLIFIED FOR US SENIORS FOR WE MAKE UP THE BULK OF THE PLAYERS.JUST LISTEN TO US SQUEAL

3/19/2015 07:11 - elaine G j.

Why cant you buy pick 3 & 4 online?NC Lottery
The lottery received approval to introduce web-based subscription for its jackpot games, Cash 5, Mega Millions and Powerball. At this time, we don't know when or if we will be able to offer more games for sale this way.

3/19/2015 01:01 - PHILIP M.

Good

3/17/2015 08:44 - mary s.

if I was to scan in a winning ticket accidentally and the Luckezone doesn't let me know that the ticket was a winner, will you all notify me of the winning ticket? NC Lottery
There's currently no way for us to let you know if you've won or not via our website, so it's important to look at your ticket carefully. There are 4,000 ticket checkers all over the state that you could use, and you can always ask a retailer to scan your ticket. Thanks for the question!

3/17/2015 08:24 - mary s.

Now that the winning scratch off tickets can be entered, will you all have another way for us to know if we've keyed in a winning ticket by accident? It used to be a message when a winning ticket was keyed in to say "ticket not yet ready" or something to that effect.NC Lottery
The Lucke-Zone and app are designed to recognize whether or not a ticket is eligible for points; to confirm whether or not you've won a prize, you would still need to scan it yourself at a retailer with ticket checkers, or ask a retailer to scan it for you.

3/17/2015 10:05 - Jeffrey F.

My Android won't Sçan tickets, I even used the Light icon to perhaps enhance the barcode still it doesn't work, sorry I haven't won in a very long while to afford an iPhone. After the Scans (red laser light) is lined underneath the barcode, does it automatically supposed to scan or am I supposed to hit a key on my keyboard? Disappointed :-(NC Lottery
Sorry to hear you're having issues with the app. For technical support, please click the HELP link at the top of the screen and fill out an Online Support form.

3/16/2015 05:20 - LINDA D.

Today was my lucky day, I bought a pick-3 and pick-4 ticket and I received pick 3 and pick 4 1-off tickets for free. I heard the sound of the machine, but I thought it was the cashiers phone. It said free ticket, free ticket. Wow, I hope my free ticket numbers come out this tonight. Thanks, NCELNC Lottery
:-) :-) :-)

3/14/2015 05:36 - Tim B.

Thanks for the scanner app on Iphone. Was a pain to manually enter ticket numbers

3/13/2015 08:55 - clayton s.

This note is to all you naysayers.........The NCEL is a game of chance. You have a chance to WIN or a chance to LOSE. In reality, EVERYONE will lose more often than they win. WHY ???? Because, if everybody won all the time, (NCEL, Vegas, et. el.) there would be NO LOTTERIES AT ALL. Just like your bank account. If you have a negative cash flow, you won't be able to draw money out and you won't be in business very long. Why do I know all this?????? I am 72 years old, from New York State, and been playing lottery for some 50 years. Have I won a big jackpot yet???? NO!!!!NO!!!!! NO!!!!!!! Do I still play????? YES!!!!!YES!!!!! So, I must be STUPID or I like to have fun. FUN????? Yes. I'm the guy who takes the scratch off tics home and scratches them there. Also, I scratch off the tics one box or line at a time with anticipation of winning!!!!!!! How can anyone have any fun if you just scratch the barcode and hand the tic to the clerk? So GOOD LUCK!!!

3/13/2015 05:06 - James B.

Maybe I have bad luck or none but the entire NC LOTTERY IS A RIPOFF I CAN BUY 10 to 15 scratch off without even 20 dollars 15 tickets in a row and nothing spend your money on your kids at least I get something outta thatNC Lottery
There is never a guarantee of winning a prize with games of chance. Every time you buy a ticket, you are playing the odds on that ticket; the odds don't change depending on if you have just bought a winning ticket or five non-winning tickets. It takes luck to win. So we agree it is important to spend money on things that matter most first, and then if you have money for entertainment and want a chance to win, then buy a lottery ticket :)

3/13/2015 03:35 - cortney c.

Heck yea

3/11/2015 12:08 - justin v.

I received a free ticket but didn't notice the sound. I'm not saying it didn't happen but it wasn't noticeable. A lot of stores also have protective glass so you wouldn't be able to hear the sound. With that being said, this puts the employees in a bad position where they have to choose from right and wrong. It is sad to say but there are a lot of untrustworthy people in today's society. Which ultimately could take away from what the NC lottery is trying to do by rewarding the players and not the store employees. Great concept but could use some tweaking when you decide to reward NC lottery players in the future. The all or nothing promotion was great because the player knew what to do in order to get a free ticket. NO TEMPTATION and 100% chance the players received the bonus ticket and not anyone else. The free ticket was greatly appreciated and I hope to get a few more before this promotion ends.

3/10/2015 05:24 - contina w.

When will Nc get another trip???? They fall in other states. Florida had four to fall in the same weekNC Lottery
Florida’s all time trips percentage is 0.97%, just slightly below the 1% expected rate. North Carolina’s all time average is 1.01%, or just above the average. The difference between the two averages is 1 triple per 2,548 drawings.

3/08/2015 09:59 - james E.

Hey I was wondering is thier a limit to how many enterys in drawing drawings NC Lottery
No limits for you or total entries in Lucke-Rewards drawings. They are like raffles.

3/08/2015 12:58 - Michael J.

Just hope to have some luck you know what I mean it all in the ddrawing

3/06/2015 11:47 - Evelyn W.

On my pick4 1-off winning numbers was 1111 and 0111. The number that was drawn for the evening was 0221. There was no winning on that ticket. Which numbers do I look for a chance to win off? Is it the number I chose at the top or the 80 chances at the bottom with 1-off? If it is the 80 chances at the bottom I should have won something. NC Lottery
All possible winning combinations are printed on your ticket. If you have any doubt if you have a winner, just ask a lottery retailer to check it for you or use a ticket checker at the store.

3/06/2015 09:38 - Reneta M.

I took the survey on this 1 digit off and I said yes I would play, and for what, its not any better for me than the rest.

3/06/2015 09:07 - Marquita W.

D the entry slip say bonus bucks or it look the same as regular entry slips [reply} If you are talking about a Cash 5 Bonus Bucks entry, it will have the Cash 5 game logo at top, have ENTRY in large print, and then the Entry number. Underneath the number, it says, KEEP THIS SLIP. If you are talking about a free 1-Off ticket, it looks just like another I-Off ticket with all the possible winning combinations printed on the ticket. It should say "FREE TICKET" under the date and time stamp.

3/05/2015 10:28 - Antonio W.

When will the X the cash winners be put up here? NC Lottery
Should go up today, but names won't appear until winners have claimed. Here's where to watch. https://rewards.lucke-zone.com/drawings

3/05/2015 10:19 - Sonja W.

212 came out I had 002 1-off

3/05/2015 07:39 - michael a.

I entered (2) gold rush scratch off cards, one gave me 5 points the other gave me 50 points don't understand why different. NC Lottery
That's part of the fun. The amount of points you get will vary. Good luck to you with the drawings.

3/05/2015 05:29 - Carlos C.

Still waiting for a winner, still waiting for an EZ match more than $3. I have never heard of anyone from Jacksonville winning anything from lucky rewards. Then you guys block my comments, what kind of fraud show are you guys running? NC Lottery
We have Lucke-Rewards winners from all across the state. You can follow the winners on the Winners webpage. Good luck to everyone in Jacksonville.

3/05/2015 06:36 - Evelyn W.

I played 131 on pick3 1-off. Do I win anything? The number drawn was 212.NC Lottery
No :( Because while your first and third digits are 1-OFF, the middle one is 2-off. If your middle number was a 0 or a 2, you would have won a prize.

3/03/2015 11:26 - Arnold W.

I miss the old feature of Lucky Rewards not letting you know it is a winner ... if the entered ticket was a winner, you got an error message (check your numbers) ... help me with several scratch offs that were winners. I do like that all tickets are now accepted .

3/03/2015 11:03 - Marquita W.

If I purchase cash 5 tickets 5 on one ticket and three on another how many entry slips do I suppose to receive? Cause I swear the clerk be keeping my entry slipsNC Lottery
In that case, you should get one Bonus Bucks entry slip. Because only a single purchase of $5 or more will generate a Bonus Bucks slip. If you were to buy two separate $5 tickets, you would get two entry slips.

3/03/2015 08:00 - Rena R.

Thank you, good luck to everyone

3/03/2015 10:33 - jason r.

do you have to play $1.00 to be able to get the free ticket?i 've got about 10 50 cent tickets since SUn no free ticket yetNC Lottery
No, you don't have to make a $1 purchase, $.50 counts too. It's just a matter of luck of the draw if you happen to get a free ticket or not ;-)

3/03/2015 03:45 - Janet B.

ok on the one off pick 3 or 4 I was told that you did not have to mark any exact or 50/50 you just mark one off until I read this information tonight I also do not understand that on pick 3 and pick 4 you can miss the number by 3or4 depending on what game your playing so if the pick 4 number is 4567 for the day my number is 3578 so I move one up 3 to 4 and 5 stays the same 7goes down to 6 and 8 drops down to 7 now it matches 4567 but my ticket says not a winner how is that I just don't get it evening number 444 my number is 333 why can I not move it one number up 444 I need help its me or the merchant or scanner on a pick 4 there is 80 ways to win and I looking right at my number but the scanner say not a winner PLEASE HELPNC Lottery
Call customer service to talk it through: 877-962-7529

3/03/2015 12:55 - Lisa B.

I won another free ticket today after winning one this morning and my brother pick four of the winning cash five numbers. Hopefully we have more bigger hits soon.

3/02/2015 02:06 - Erainer S.

A friend told me about this and I ran to get my numbers in before the deadline. She was confused as to why I did not get a free ticket. I told her it was as with any game of chance, the luck of the draw. No, I did not get a free ticket. :(

3/02/2015 12:55 - Lisa B.

I won a pic 3 couple weeks ago 250.00 then played 1-off and won on that. And yesterday won another 250.00 and today I won a free ticket and heard the sound that I was a winner. I hoping for the big hit next keep up the good work. Could you please fix it to let everyone no how many entries a person play to win on the second chance drawing it would be really helpful. Thanks!!

3/02/2015 09:35 - Lavern H.

I want to know if you accidentally enter a winning ticket in the eligible drawing does this site alert you if not it would be fabulous if changes are made so it doesNC Lottery
No, the Lucke-Rewards ticket entry system is not designed to be a "ticket checker" so you will have to be careful to make sure if you won a prize or not on your tickets when you enter them.

3/02/2015 07:12 - Monte W.

Player, about the scanner not showing the win on the EZ match complaint, The scanners do not show ANY winnings until after the draw has occurred, then it will show the EZ match win AND and win you may have on the Cash 5. Best thing is to let the store clerk verify! Their machines will show wins and print an "EXCHANGE TICKET"NC Lottery
Thanks for sharing helpful information!

3/02/2015 12:51 - JOHN WESLEY P.

SOUNDS GREAT I'LL TRY IT,I APPRECIATE YOU ALL'S WORK BY MAKING EVERYTHING EASIER TO UNDERSTAND BE BLESSED ALWAYS,I'VE HELPED INVEST IN A LOT SCHOOL PROJECTS,JUST WAITING ON A DIVIDEND PAYBACK ??

3/02/2015 12:22 - Pamela N.

Thanks for making all tickets eligible for Lucke-rewards. Please provide a way for us to see the total amount won once a winning ticket is entered, similar to scanning. With the old system, it prevented me from throwing away a winning ticket because it would say this entry is not recognized even though I thought I thoroughly checked all numbers. Thanks for your consideration.

3/01/2015 10:10 - Don B.

Will a sound always occur when a 1-Off prize ticket is distributed? I know several vendors I redeem tickets at that will turn off the terminal sound when you win $50 or more. Will the 1-Off prize ticket show up in the terminal receipt when I request a receipt of my purchases of pic 3 and pic 4 tickets?NC Lottery
Yes, if you win a free 1-OFF ticket, it will show up in the terminal receipt of a Pick 3 or Pick 4 purchase. Also, the terminals have settings that do not allow a retailer to turn down the sound further than a predefined level. That level should make it so that the sound should always be able to be heard :-)

3/01/2015 10:01 - Evelyn W.

This sounds good. I hope I get a free 1-off. It's about time to see some triples and quads to come next. Do I have to save my tickets from scratch off and pick3 and pick4 after I enter for my points for the drawing on Lucke-Zone? If I win I want to know if I have to show the ticket or clarification that I won from the drawing.NC Lottery
As far as Lucke-Rewards points, once you've entered your ticket for points, you don't need the physical ticket anymore. You only need the physical ticket if you won a prize on the ticket, either instantly or in the drawing for that particular game. But not for Lucke-Rewards :-)

3/01/2015 08:51 - harsha k.

Happy for the player who had won all or nothing ,its been a long time since any won had won after november..congrats buddy

3/01/2015 08:15 - syeda s.

I have won 220 dollars with the new feature. I LOVE IT!!NC Lottery
AWESOME!! :)

3/01/2015 07:26 - Cornelius M.

please inform me about how to collect the free pick 1 off ticket and when do a person get to play the one off ticket, I say this cause my 1 off ticket say to hold on to the ticket until later, does this mean I will collect a free ticket with the ticket that say congratulations ask for your free ticket. when I showed the cashier the ticket she did not know what to do after she scanned it and it said the ticket was not a winner. how do we collect the free ticket. here is the entry code for the free ticket 00ymj-fb20h-94100-503ck-61561 now how do I redeem this for a free ticket in the 1 off game.NC Lottery
We don't understand your question, would you please call customer service? 877-962-7529

3/01/2015 07:21 - REGINA B.

I am trying everything to win something, even Publisher's Clearing House. WISH ME LUCK REGGIE

3/01/2015 06:50 - furman l.

I have played hundreds of $10 dollars cash 5 tickets; that's $5 dollars for cash and $5 dollars for E-Z match and have never won more than $8 dollars on the E-Z match and maybe a couple of dollars on the cash 5. Yes I think it is a rip off. They no what numbers to put in not to be a match. I've asked other people and yet to find a big winner with E-Z match.

3/01/2015 05:37 - charlotte s.

One off is a great way to play i have won a couple of times playing that way

3/01/2015 02:52 - Beverly Kelly J.

Glad we earn a extra ticket.

3/01/2015 02:38 - Reginald W.

Awesome

3/01/2015 02:22 - tonya h.

receive one today thanks for the extra gift wish me luck

3/01/2015 01:52 - don s.

and what about deaf people and not trust worthy store clerks

3/01/2015 01:39 - William D.

I believe in happy customers lead to increase sales. Not very happy right now. Hmmmm lets see instead save my $ and take a trip might be good for me. Atlantic city, Cherokee, or maybe even Vegas!!!

3/01/2015 01:13 - Shanita S.

Yes! I love this game. I won yesterday twice off of the 1-off and then off of my regular pick 3 play. It was a great day indeed. Good luck everyone!

3/01/2015 11:45 - David M.

Good luck to all players..and me .This game is rigged according to me. I play daily but never win anything. I know I sound like a sore loser......don't I? I hope to win one day

3/01/2015 11:08 - Thom B.

"if your purchase occurs at the right time as tickets are sold across the state, you’ll be the lucky person who gets a free chance to play 1-OFF". Too ambiguous. Doesn't sound very fun.

3/01/2015 11:01 - marriette b.

i like this thats good that you will gave back to the players thanks

3/01/2015 10:39 - PRAVIN V.

Hello, NC Lottery,Lucke-Zone, I have strong complain and comment on NC CASH5 ez match you know why?I purchased a ticket cash5 draw onFebuary28th.My number was 15 19 20 24 30 I matched number 24 and eznatch show me $2 winner,but when I scanned in lottery machine it says not a winner so is your cash5 ez match is fraud?or fasle?Clearify me.I used to win cash5 ezmatch instantly out of 5 numericale numbers.How come it did not win?the instant matched number?Is your computer system is fraud?who trust you?if this happens.Clearfy me.NC Lottery
Please call customer service between 8am and 530pm Monday-Friday so someone can talk this through with you: 877-962-7529

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New 1-OFF free ticket promotion starts March 1

March 1, 2015 Posted by NC Lottery at 9:24 AM

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