Heads up! New scratch-offs debut on First Tuesday

May 2, 2017 Posted by NC Lottery at 8:30 AM

Hey guys, it's First Tuesday for the month of May. That means fresh batches of scratch-offs - and I'm eager to acquaint you with the new $5,000,000 Mega Cash game.

What makes it so Mega? Well, it starts with half a dozen prizes of $100,000 and six more prizes of $1 million. Oh, and it's hard to ignore the three top prizes of $5 million. Mucho Mega.

Next up on the menu, your choice of two new $5 tickets: The Silver & Gold Crossword or a game known as The Big $5 Ticket. It earns its namesake with four top prizes of $400,000.

Big Winners

For $2 per play, you could win up to $25,000 playing Scoop the Cash. If you see a "CA$H" symbol below a prize, it's yours. Scratch to reveal a "$$" symbol and - you guessed it - you win *double* the amount.

You could win a stack in the new $1 Blackjack game. Beat the dealer's hand and you win. Play your cards right and you could walk away with one of 15 top prizes of $2,100.

First Tuesday is my favorite day. But according to my calendar, every day in North Carolina has the chance to be a great one. I hope you scratch off a little somethin' - or maybe even a Mega somethin'. Happy First Tuesday, y'all!

45 COMMENTS

5/08/2017 10:46 - Dennis C.

Just for the record 'notsolitlebit', I took one of my $100 winners and reinvested in 5 new $20 cards. Every one of them were duds. Waited two days and invested another $100 winner in five cards and again nothing. I don't blame the lottery though, only my own ignorance as I knew better than to do that. Just glad it was found money given back.

5/07/2017 09:34 - Ronald H.

Instead of having one winner of 500 mil why not have a game where 500 win 1 mil each. Seems this would really bring out the folks to buy buy buy.

5/07/2017 09:31 - Ronald H.

I noticed the % on money the lottery was making had gone up as i see it the way that happens is giving less prizes per roll of games than before the percentage went up. NC Lottery
Instant games in North Carolina pay out at a higher percentage now than they ever have, and we paid out a record $1.5 billion in total prizes last year.

5/06/2017 11:07 - michael e.

If losing is so fun why do you still try with scratch offs they are differently losers play power ball cash five or luck for life luck could change ???

5/06/2017 09:37 - Sandy Geddie H.

Have I won anything at all, and was not reach? How can u tell when it say winner notication. What do the caller I'd say, or the E-mail from? Just checking.........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.

5/05/2017 10:14 - Tanisha M.

These scratch offs are duds!!! It's ridiculous I bought 10 scratch offs and didn't win a penny! I bought about 7 $5 tickets and only won $10!! Really NC! Y'all are making too much money to scam us like that! Seems like the same stores all over NC always have the winners! Most winners are either in Raleigh or Charlotte! News Flash: PEOPLE IN SMALL COUNTIES LIKE IREDELL AND CATAWBA PLAY TOO! I will say this is my last week buying scratches bc I lose more than I've ever won!! Thank you North Carolina!!!NC Lottery
Whether you buy one ticket or many, you have to be lucky to win more than you wager. The lottery doesn't keep its profits, 100% of earnings after paying out prizes, retail commissions and operating costs go to education. It's not easier to win the lottery in Raleigh or Charlotte - if you moved there you'd have the same chance of winning, just more neighbors. We've had lots of winners in Iredell and Catawba counties. Here are links to some info about those winners: http://bit.ly/2qMpSlq

5/04/2017 09:30 - Tony T.

5XCHAMPS SAID Today at lunch I bought two new $20's and card 20 was $100 and card 21 was $30. This run of cards looks like it is loaded with back to back winners which is fun if you buy them but it leads to a series of duds for the next poor soul that walks in.*************** Yeah champs and seems I'm always the next poor soul . :(

5/04/2017 01:59 - David B.

The only scratch off tickets I buy is the Lucke Rewards just for the points. NCEL is Making a hell of a lot $ off these . No pay out! When this ends I'll buy no more scratch offs. The odds for scratch off tickets are awful! When Megaball and Cash5 tickets go up I'll do The same! Eventually the NCEL will price me out!

5/04/2017 12:14 - Johnathan P.

I bought 30$ millionaire ticket and sad to say I won 30$ first time bought another one the next day with the 30$ I won and lost it all :( after that one the next day i bought another 30$ ticket and lost there's 1 to 100000.... chance to win something in 30$ tickets

5/03/2017 09:00 - lisa p.

I don't see any better odds with the new $5 tickets. Most winners are breakeven or maybe $10. The lottery just isn't fun anymore. You have to spend $50 just to win $5 or $10! I give up! Broke and tired of trying. The tickets have never been this bad!

5/03/2017 05:15 - mary b.

I HAVE PURCHASED ALL DOLLAR AMOUNTS OF SCRATCH OFFS. ONCE, ABOUT 5 YEARS AGO, I WON $1000 ON A SCRATCH OFF. SINCE THAT TIME , I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO REPEAT THAT WIN. NEEDLESS TO SAY, I HAVE NOT. NOT PLAYING AS MUCH. IT CAN GET EXPENSE, BUT I'M STILL TRYING FOR A LIFE SAVING (BIG BIG) WIN. GOOD LUCK TO ALL.

5/03/2017 02:44 - Dennis C.

Today at lunch I bought two new $20's and card 20 was $100 and card 21 was $30. This run of cards looks like it is loaded with back to back winners which is fun if you buy them but it leads to a series of duds for the next poor soul that walks in.

5/03/2017 01:23 - Charlene W.

5xCHAMPS-obviously the mill winner and yourself live in the "lucky "part of the states cause it's only dubs round here in these woods .

5/03/2017 10:19 - Leslie B.

Good luck... I've run out of "play" money.

5/03/2017 09:41 - Bobby D.

Yesterday on 05/02/17 the midday Numbers was ,692. Please purchase the balls with the words six and nine on them like Illinois does to stop the confusion. Thanks. 02

5/03/2017 09:09 - Connie M.

Bought a Big5, won $10. Threw it back in for 2 more: lost it all. :( Still dreamin ??

5/03/2017 08:25 - Dennis C.

@ NotSharon Here is what happened. A week earlier, I bought 20 of those 20X the Money cards and only hit on 2 $10 winners. That left a bad taste in my mouth. I know the guy that won the mil and he loved that card. I had seen many of his winners so that Easter morning I thought about it and remembered those 18 duds I bought and said no. The guy was coming in the door as I was going out. He said: “I got to get me a couple of 20x’s for the Easter holiday. I said “Good Luck friend”. Come Tuesday of the next week, there he was holding the big check. He won a Mil in Virginia also. He bought card 12 and 13. Card 12 had a moneybag symbol and underneath it was 1MIL. It was a bitter pill to swallow and probably as close as I will ever come to big money. He was his time not mine so I moved on. Good luck to all.

5/03/2017 07:18 - Mike S.

Congrats to the LZ player for winning back to back 10x second chance drawings. Over 290,000 10X entries last week and over 270,000 entries the week before. What are the odds of winning back to back against that many entries? Only NCEL knows...

5/03/2017 04:47 - Stephanie G.

I love the NC lottery looking forward to winning that 1 million dollars in the extreme drawing today. I'm tired of living here and there. I would love to purchase my first home so me and my 5 kids can live together again..??????

5/03/2017 04:39 - Vivian n.

I like playing new games

5/02/2017 09:49 - Teresa G.

My mom won on the 5x of $500 an $100. I be only won $40 but we have spent a lot. SURE would like to win big money

5/02/2017 09:10 - amanda r.

1st Tuesday I love it NC Lottery
It's the best!

5/02/2017 09:07 - Nellie M.

Good Luck players.

5/02/2017 07:57 - Sally J.

I am not trusting the odds with the NC lottery anymore, when it comes to scratch off tickets. I bought a total of 60 $2 tickets, and only won on 6 of them. This is ridiculous!! It's happened with several tickets, and I have heard others with this same concern. Come on NC!! NC Lottery
Hi there, SallyJ. Hopefully this will help! The odds of winning on a scratch-off ticket are for the entire printing run of the game. Each time you buy a ticket, you have to beat the odds in order to win a prize. Buying multiple tickets is never a guarantee of winning. Sometimes it just takes one ticket to win. We even created a blog post specifically about odds :) You can view it here: http://ow.ly/hAhe30bmWLo.

5/02/2017 07:49 - Mary H.

Hurray for the First Tuesday Guy and North Carolina Lottery. :) NC Lottery
We'll add to the fun! Hooray for our players! :) We are glad you love Mr. First Tuesday just as much as we do!

5/02/2017 07:01 - Tony T.

5XCHAMPS SAID:One Easter Friday I went in a store several years ago and looked at and considered the 20X card and told myself: “Stay away as it is awful. You never win on it” So I did and the gym owner here in HP came in behind me, bought two of them and scored a million.************ Oh, that is soooo painful . :(

5/02/2017 05:57 - greg s.

to those who complain about scratch off odds. ult. millions has been out since sept. 2015! look at how many tickets had to be printed for the game to have this longevity. The best scratch tickets to play are the holiday tickets since they usually have a short lifespan and I have done the best on the holiday tickets.

5/02/2017 05:19 - gloria g.

Notsolilbit, I have switched my focus to the $1 and $2 scratch offs and having a lot more fun and less frustration. I like winning $5 and $10 on a $1 ticket plus I can buy more of them...just my 2 cents worth. Good luck to you all.

5/02/2017 05:18 - Leslie T.

More winning tickets. More winners in the eastern dstrict and let the powerball go off at 40 million twice a week and the mega also. Share the wealth with more people.

5/02/2017 04:04 - Galan K.

I have only one complaint. Scanning the bar code from the scratch offs into the lucke zone is nearly impossible. My phone will not read the tiny bar code. The bar code is too small. I have no trouble scanning the bar code on the draw tickets. NC Lottery
We are sorry to hear you are having some issues. We have passed along the information to the right people, and they have started looking into on how we can make this process easier and faster for everyone. Thank you for reaching out to us. We know it's not the best solution, but you can always manually enter you tickets if you are having issues with the scanner. :)

5/02/2017 03:56 - Ms Xzavier C.

I love 1st Tuesday's--I can't get the jingle out my head..lol heading to get new tickets

5/02/2017 02:45 - Dennis C.

Notsolilbit, I am looking at the odds on their website and comparing them to the other $20 cards. There is definitely more smaller prizes in this new $20 card than any other $20 card out there. My first two I bought was card 000 and it was $50 and 001 was $40. Today at lunch, I bought a 000 for $100 and 001 was a dud. Trust me I feel your pain from past experiences. Mine you, the overall odds are not the best ever for a $20 card but it has the most prizes from $20 to $100 I have ever seen on a $20 card. You hit a bad roll notsolilbit or the $100 had probably just hit on that roll. It was just bad luck. Don’t swear off the card notsolilbit like I did the 20X The Cash $10 card. I missed out on a $1,000,00.00 because “I didn’t like it”. One Easter Friday I went in a store several years ago and looked at and considered the 20X card and told myself: “Stay away as it is awful. You never win on it” So I did and the gym owner here in HP came in behind me, bought two of them and scored a million.

5/02/2017 02:33 - Charlene W.

Bought 3 new $2 ones Monday won $3 woohoo,which is a lot to win here in FQ/HS so I should feel blessed

5/02/2017 02:31 - Charlene W.

Old or New does not matter it's always obsolete scratch offs here in Fuquay/Holly Springs,scratch off my fellow bloggers.

5/02/2017 02:14 - dave h.

Time for the Lottery Commission to start playing by their own rules for a change !!! Having to buy 7-10 tickets in a row even on $10-$20 & $30 tickets which only have 30 tickets in a pack to win $10-$20 is a crime - start putting less big prizes in these games and put more winners in their so the average Joe doesn't have to spend $30 to $ 50 to win $10 or $20 -- it's rediculous saying the odds are 3 or 4 to 1 to win!!! I've proven that false a thousand times ?? NC Lottery
Hi there, Pappy101. Hopefully this will help! The odds of winning on a scratch-off ticket are for the entire printing run of the game. Each time you buy a ticket, you have to beat the odds in order to win a prize. Buying multiple tickets is never a guarantee of winning. Sometimes it just takes one ticket to win. We even created a blog post specifically about odds :) You can view it here: http://ow.ly/hAhe30bmWLo.

5/02/2017 01:56 - jackie w.

I would like to find out from 5Xchamp just where are those prizes on the new 20 dollar tickets? My husband bought4 and boy what a waste, not a winner one now what does that say for the odds I believe someone on the inside wrote this comment. I quit playing these sorry scratch-offs and I WILL NOT return to them, not wasting my money!!!

5/02/2017 01:26 - Sharon M.

I ?? First Tuesday!!!

5/02/2017 12:18 - Gregory F.

I don"t know I have spent a lot of money on scratch offs have not any thing but small money when I win.need big money ln Ahoskie.

5/02/2017 11:39 - Phyllis R.

Is all the top prize tickets in the eastern part of the state or in Charlotte, if not, maybe more people in the western part could win, regardless of how many people in this area. NC Lottery
Hi there! It's not easier to win the lottery in one area over another. With that said, there have been plenty winners in the western part of the state, but we understand that sometimes it can feel like winners never come from your area. But good news—they do! We just might not have highlighted their story. That’s why we have a winners board here: http://www.nc-educationlottery.org/winners.aspx. That way players can scroll through all the winners for themselves :)

5/02/2017 10:51 - Angela C.

5 million will change my life And start a new one in my career This game are the only way to my Some people dream come true !!!! Fix some health problems buy first house Finally a good car not used amen !!! But you can go broke by trying So play safe set amount for day or week Good lucky to all ??

5/02/2017 09:48 - Gary C.

I am ready to play Mega Cash to win Mega Cash!!!

5/02/2017 09:47 - Arcenia E.

I really hope these new scratch off pays off with big bucks.

5/02/2017 09:32 - Willie B.

Yes, you print what 5Xchamps says but not me..i am always in line for next time or something like that willie NC Lottery
Hi there, Willie! We are not sure what you mean! We do not censor our comments on here. Sometimes it is hard to find your post because we are always uploading new blogs and many of our 800,000 Lucke-Zone members like to post as well. :)

5/02/2017 09:29 - Richard B.

I am really ready to win something big or small. Anything is possible.

5/02/2017 08:41 - Dennis C.

I am often times critical of the lottery and I have my reasons at those time but I will also applaud them when it is due. The new $20 card seems to have improved in the odds. First time in several years I have seen odds improve on a new card. It is loaded on the bottom so players won’t be as frustrated as with similar offerings. You can win a little to keep you interested while you go for the big money. Maybe the NCEL has been listening to us after all. I believe the NCEL will realize this was as profitable of a move as they could have made and if they continue this trend they will see revenues increase at a greater rate. The public is very astute and we pay close attention to the goings on at the NCEL. Many kudos for bringing out a card with improved odds.NC Lottery
@ 5XCHAMPS - You're right that there are more nice prizes to be won that could make somebody's day. We hope the game is popular with you and other players :-)

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Heads up! New scratch-offs debut on First Tuesday

May 2, 2017 Posted by NC Lottery at 8:30 AM

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