Check those tickets! 10 games ending soon

August 15, 2016 Posted by NC Lottery at 12:54 PM

Ten instant games end Friday, Aug. 19, so if you have won a prize on one of those games you have three months to claim it.

The games that are ending are:

- $20 tickets: 100X The Cash

- $10 tickets: Jumbo Bucks

- $5 tickets: $, Diamond and Dollars, $200,000 Gold Rush, and Gold 7’s

- $3 tickets: Ruby Red Crossword

- $2 tickets: Lucky Dog, I Love Cash

- $1 tickets: 2016

You have 90 days from the announced end date to claim a prize. For the games listed above, all prizes must be claimed on or before Thursday, Nov. 17, 2016. Claims of $600 up to $99,999 must be made at one of the six regional claim centers before 5 p.m. that day while claims of $100,000 and above must be made at lottery headquarters before 5 p.m. on that day as well.

Mail-in claims must be received within 90 days of the official end-of-game date. Remember, postmarks will not satisfy the 90-day requirement.

Check your tickets carefully and make sure you're not overlooking some prizes. We'd hate to see anyone miss out on a big win.

35 COMMENTS

8/19/2016 11:24 - Alvin W.

I purchased 6 of the $500 cash scratch off's and 9 of the Fireball 7s on 08/18 and I was keying them in and noticed only 7 of the fireballs was on the ticket history and only 5 of the $500 cash. I thought maybe they didn't go through so I re-entered them and came up I had already entered. I checked all the numbers on both sets of tickets and 3 did not show up on ticket history so what is up with this.NC Lottery
Anytime you or another member is having a technical issue or question, please click on the HELP link at the top of the screen and fill out an ONLINE SUPPORT form. You can also call 855-767-1863.

8/19/2016 10:19 - David W.

LuckeZone, Why don't I just write the NCEL a personal check for $20,000 instead of wasting my time playing, scratching, and entering useless codes? That would be about the equivalent of what I lost in wagers last year.Games of chance can be fun, but whether you've never played before, played 10 times or 100 times, you always have to be lucky to win a prize. If playing isn't fun for you, we'd recommend taking a break. We really don't want you to feel frustrated or face any financial burden. Here's some more info we share with folks about playing responsibly: http://bit.ly/1PkgQ6r

8/19/2016 10:15 - Mike S.

Thanks Turbo, I looked at the first Jumbo Bucks listed on the instant scratchedrs and used those numbers. Would be nice if they would post the game numbers that are ending, not just the name. The retailer I normally buy scratchers from had both the old and new games. So the moral of the story is to pay attention to the game numbers, not the game name.NC Lottery
If there's a question of there being more than one game that could be ending, we'll try to include the game #s next time.

8/18/2016 11:52 - Natasha S.

I'm curious to know if anyone from Chapel Hill ever win on this website? I play often and is wondering am I wasting my time because I have never seen any winners in Chapel Hill.

8/18/2016 06:48 - Brenda J.

Just brought $10, and four $5 didn't win anything what a scam

8/18/2016 01:11 - Tacinta C.

How are prize winners for Lucke Zone drawings notified? How long does it typically take for notification?NC Lottery
The question we get most often has to do with winner notification and winner announcements as it relates to Lucke-Rewards and promotional drawings. Winners are typically notified by email within 48 hours. So for a drawing held on a Wednesday, winners can expect a message by 5 p.m. Friday. If a winner does not respond to email notification, we will follow up with a telephone call and, if necessary, send certified mail. We announce a winner’s name only after he or she has responded to notification and completes the claim process. We understand why folks are eager to find out who won but, until a prize is claimed, we don’t officially have a winner.

8/18/2016 07:44 - Stephen C.

I just want to be sure, with the Panthers second chance drawing, is it automatically entered when I enter my lucke rewards numbers? Wheel of fortune announced it when I entered them, Panthers did not. SteveNC Lottery
When you enter a ticket here in the Lucke-Zone, it is automatically entered into any drawings associated with it :-)

8/18/2016 02:23 - monique b.

If you have the mobile app and use subscription how do you collect the winnings without a Scannable ticket? Is there a "winner" notification in the app? Why are your subscriptions different colors. For example, yellow and next white?NC Lottery
Would you please call customer service to talk through your questions so they can answer them? 855-767-1863

8/17/2016 02:27 - Denver G.

, 87superglide , Way to man up & catch that so quick. You da man !

8/17/2016 08:51 - Mike S.

Regarding my previous post on Jumbo Bucks ending the numbers I quoted were for game number 463, not game number 395 which is ending and the top prizes have been claimed.NC Lottery
You can see on our instant game page that it is the older Jumbo Bucks game that is ending, not the one with three top prizes remaining: http://www.nc-educationlottery.org/instant.aspx

8/17/2016 07:59 - Mike S.

Jumbo Bucks has 34.5% of the prizes remaining with 3 of 5 top prizes still available and 492 prizes $1k and above still unclaimed. And there are 1.9 million tickets still available. LZ, I read your reasons for pulling the games but that makes no sense unless your auditing procedures include a trip wire when the odds of winning increase by a certain level - like 10%...Based on the numbers of unclaimed prizes and remaining tickets Jumbo Bucks is close to that level now. The original winning percentage was 29.74%, it's now 38.73%. And you just had a $750K and a $50k winner!

8/16/2016 02:08 - michael c.

Assumed the older $10 Jumbo Bucks is being removed not the newer $10 version?NC Lottery
Correct. You can see on our instant game page that it is the older Jumbo Bucks game that is ending: http://www.nc-educationlottery.org/instant.aspx

8/16/2016 12:52 - Joshua A.

If not mistaken, The last $1000 dollar for life $2 dollar scratch winner also took the lump sum. I think he was in his 50's.

8/16/2016 10:41 - Felita H.

NCEL needs to drop 703 in pick 3!! ijs #Ready ??NC Lottery
What numbers come out is random, but we wish you the very best of luck!!

8/16/2016 10:04 - Denver G.

On 8/15/2016 08:42, Player said Hey Turbo... Not my personal call on to lump sum or not to lump sum, But the kid that won the last 5000 for life, I think was in early 20's and took lump sum...... BIG MATH MISTAKE. Maybe with the $$$ the lottery makes someone will get a better education. .....I remember that! I agree with you. I hope someday to have to make a choice like that.

8/16/2016 09:59 - NC Lottery

@ PLAYER RE: ACCOUNTING PROCEDURES: All of our practices are independently reviewed to ensure fairness to all players, and we regularly report to a joint legislative oversight committee. Ending games is a standard practice in the lottery industry, and one we've followed since the lottery began more than 10 years ago. As we have replied to other members, there are several factors that go into the decision to end a game. Most often, it is because all the top prizes have been claimed. But, yes, the popularity of a game is important because #1 we have an obligation to raise money for education and #2 we have new tickets being printed that have to be rotated into inventory for sale. We do our best to respond to questions and concerns here on the blog but for customer service you can call 877-962-7529 and for public records requests about accounting procedures you can e-mail playerinfo@lotterync.net - thanks for the chance to reply :)

8/16/2016 08:44 - oliVia b.

Am I a real member of lucks-zone. Not one of my comments has ever been posted! Sigh. If I can't get a Comments posted how do you know you're entered in the drawings?NC Lottery
All of your comments are being posted. They are just reviewed first to ensure they don't contain vulgar language or rude comments towards other players, and so that we can see if the comment needs a response :) The thing is, we post several blogs per week. So if you post a comment one day, and we post a new blog the same day, you might have to go back to an older blog to find your comment. Click on COMMUNITY to see older blogs. Also you can change your screenname to something besides the default "PLAYER" to make it easier to find your comment. If you've entered a drawing, you're in it. Call 877-962-7529 between 8am & 530pm M-F if you have more questions.

8/16/2016 08:43 - Hobert F.

My turn to WIN TO !!!!!!!!!!

8/16/2016 08:01 - Jeff b.

When I scanned a winning scratch off ticket it did not tell me that it was a winner. It would be nice to have that ability, sometimes we may miss a winning ticket. Will this be available soon?NC Lottery
Yes, so the Lucke-Zone app was not intended to be a "ticket checker" - just a way to enter your tickets :) But there are plans to introduce a new app that will indicate if your ticket is likely a winner. Stay tuned!

8/16/2016 02:22 - Mitch S.

Hello I've noticed not a lot of winning tickets are being bought on the Eastern side of the state. I'm really disappointed here the last year or so of the odds of winning I know I know your not going to win on every ticket but I bought 2 rolls of tickets of the $5 scratch game $600 worth and I only won $130 total. Done this twice so I've basically giving up on scratch tickets here lately. But anyway good luck to everyone.NC Lottery
What do you consider the eastern side of the state? Most North Carolinians do live east of the mountain region. But it isn't easier or harder to win the lottery depending on where you live. Every time you try your luck on a ticket you have to beat the odds to win a prize, big or small. We recommend playing when you feel lucky, not necessarily buying by the roll since there's no guarantee of winning more than your wager on one ticket or lots of tickets.

8/16/2016 01:49 - charles m.

Other players cant speak for For this player, cause any time The lottery commission end instant Tickets with prizes still left, You have false advertised ticket Odds of winning.NC Lottery
It's a common practice in the lottery industry. We have been ending games since the lottery began in 2006. We have an obligation to have games for sale that are popular that will help us award prizes and raise money for education.

8/15/2016 11:09 - Jonathan G.

Tennessee's mobile app allows you to scan a ticket to verify whether or not you have a winning ticket. Is the North CarolinaNC Lottery
There are plans to introduce a new app that will indicate if your ticket is likely a winner. Stay tuned!

8/15/2016 09:50 - oliVia b.

I'm waiting for the big one

8/15/2016 08:42 - Joshua A.

Hey Turbo... Not my personal call on to lump sum or not to lump sum, But the kid that won the last 5000 for life, I think was in early 20's and took lump sum...... BIG MATH MISTAKE. Maybe with the $$$ the lottery makes someone will get a better education.

8/15/2016 08:37 - Joshua A.

Also it is very odd that when a new scratch game comes out... SOMEONE ALWAYS WINS RIGHT OFF THE BAT!! And don't give your your odds theory... My odds theory says that way your games are won are not by chance at all. And that proves that there is a master list of when top winners will be distributed for any particular game.NC Lottery
Tickets are most popular when they first come out. So it's no surprise that sometimes we have a big-winning ticket early in an instant game's life. We aren't sure what you mean by an odds theory. Winning and non-winning tickets are distributed at random throughout a game, and nobody knows when or where a winning ticket will show up until it's scratched off. Good luck to you!

8/15/2016 08:31 - Joshua A.

Can You the NCEL, please explain some accounting procedures for me as to why the NCEL is pulling games such as: Diamonds and Dollars and Gold Rush, both of these are $5 scratch cards. These are only examples. Each had 6 top $200,000 dollar top prizes. Each still has 2 of those TOP PRIZES REMAINING and the NCEL decided to pull them. This is common practice and can be seen on the NCEL Website. You may remember the "$100 Mayhem " 2 dollar scratch card. 4 top prizes of $50,000. The NCEL only awarded 2 of those top prizes. Would that not change the entire odds scheme that is printed at the beginning of each game tremendously in the NCEL's favor? So, if all the accounting is done before a scratch off game is released as a new game, then why does the NCEL have to pull games? The only answer is to maximize profits. I will also be addressing these matters with several North Carolina members of both State House and State Senate.NC Lottery
Please see our reply a few comments down :)

8/15/2016 08:03 - GHEORGHE C.

!!my turn to win ????.

8/15/2016 08:01 - DWUAN M.

Makes sense lottery. Also will you guys be bringing out pick ten (keno) play slipsNC Lottery
We don't have anything about Keno to announce at this time :)

8/15/2016 07:41 - william b.

Question; Do I wing ticket for the luck zone? If so what do I do to prove I have won a game?NC Lottery
So, if you have won a prize in a drawing for games like Pick 3, Pick 4, Cash 5, Mega Millions, Powerball, Lucky for Life or an instant game, you need to claim that prize before you enter your ticket here in the Lucke-Zone. But once you've entered the ticket here, you don't need to keep it. You're automatically entered into any drawings associated with that game. Then it's just up to you to use your points to enter any Lucke-Rewards drawings you like :)

8/15/2016 05:58 - Vernon B.

How can you find out the prizes that are still available for these games?NC Lottery
Please see our reply to the comment above :)

8/15/2016 04:46 - Susan H.

Is there a site to go to where these games are listed as well as unclaimed prizes? If so will you please post itNC Lottery
Sure, just go to our main website linked below, click on games, and look at the individual instant game pages, which are updated daily. You can see how many top prizes remain at every level :) http://nclottery.com

8/15/2016 04:11 - Denver G.

Good advice LZ. I know a bunch of people (including myself)that went around our respective towns trying to buy up the remaining $10 tics for $5k a week last year. You had a 2nd chance drawing and the tics had been out for 3 years, the longest running ticket ever & the last one with the no new bar code! Any way all across NC people thought there was 1 remaining top prize. The word on the street & net was the tic had been purchased weeks if not months earlier. The person that bought the ticket just took their good ole time claiming the prize.

8/15/2016 03:27 - Erica O.

Will pick 3 and pick 4 be added to subscription services? Also, please consider adding "winner" alert to the scan ability for scratch off's. Thanks.NC Lottery
Thanks for the question and suggestion. At this time, no plan to add Pick 3 and Pick 4 to subscription services. But - you can look forward to a new mobile app that allows players to scan their tickets to tell if it is likely a winner :) Stay tuned!

8/15/2016 02:40 - Kenneth F.

I agree with Colonel. You have better odds of winning a grand prize when the game gets old and fewer tickets remain. Yet some games are yanked anyway. You guys just stopped Diamonds and Dollars with 2 $200,000 prizes remaining. It was still selling at a decent pace. Please take these concerns into consideration. I am annoyed that games aren't allowed to have all grand prizes awarded. Thank you.NC Lottery
Diamonds & Dollars came out more than one year ago. All of the $10,000 prizes are gone and about 90% of the prizes at the other levels are gone. Based on how many tickets were printed for the game, it wasn't expected to last this long. Given that it is entirely possible that the other two top-prize winning tickets have already been scratched off - and the player either did not realize it, or will have 90 days to come forward to claim the prize. Folks have a few more days to buy the tickets if they want a chance to win. Otherwise, we have to make room for new games :)

8/15/2016 02:12 - charles m.

Why is the lottery commision Ending instant games when all The prizes hasnt been awarded, Thats not fair to the lottery Players.NC Lottery
This is not a new practice, we have been ending games since the lottery began in 2006. There are several reasons a game might be ended, usually because all the top prizes have been claimed. But sometimes if a game is no longer popular or other games scheduled for release are set to come out, a game can be ended for those and other reasons too. If you talk to other lottery players, many of them will tell you they only want to play an instant game if there is a top prize still unclaimed. Thanks for your comment :)

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Check those tickets! 10 games ending soon

August 15, 2016 Posted by NC Lottery at 12:54 PM

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