More changes coming to Powerball game

April 2, 2020 Posted by NC Lottery at 4:59 PM

After the April 8 drawings, the national Powerball game will base the amount of the jackpot and the amount the jackpot increases between draws on ticket sales and interest rates. That means the game will not have a guaranteed starting jackpot of $20 million or a guaranteed increase between drawings of $2 million.

Why the change?

To put it simply, ticket sales aren’t strong enough to support the guaranteed starting jackpot and guaranteed increases and the decline in interest rates means there is less growth in investments to support the annuity prize.

Powerball ticket sales from over 45 states and the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are what cause the Powerball jackpot to increase. When more folks buy Powerball tickets, the jackpot gets bigger. When fewer folks buy Powerball tickets, the jackpot can’t rise as quickly. That’s where we are right now. There has been an overall decline in Powerball ticket sales across the country, so the jackpot can’t rise as quickly. The money to pay the prizes comes from the ticket sales.

Who made the change?

Game changes are not made by individual lotteries. Instead, game changes are made by the national organization that operates the Powerball game and all lotteries offering the game must accept the changes.

What does this mean for players?

We know there have been a few changes with Powerball recently. We want you to know that no matter what, anybody who wins a prize playing Powerball will get paid their full prize.

So, if you win $4 or $100,000 or the jackpot, you will get paid.

How will this impact the current Powerball jackpot?

The advertised Powerball jackpot for Saturday’s drawing is a guaranteed $180 million. If the jackpot rolls, it will grow to a guaranteed $190 million for the April 8 drawing. If the jackpot is won on Saturday night, it will reset to a guaranteed $20 million for the April 8 drawing and continue to grow based off sales and interest rates.

107 COMMENTS

12/27/2020 02:25 - Shirley F.

I really wish winners could remain anonymous. It would be hard to keep people from mobbing you in public asking for money.plus it is very dangerous...there have been several winners murdered. At least people should have the choice for privacy.NC Lottery
Most state lotteries do not allow winners to claim anonymously. Knowing that real people win lottery prizes is important to public confidence that the lottery is fair to everyone who plays. Also, the lottery does not have the power to make or change the law, we simply operate according to the law.

12/15/2020 01:35 - Shannon M.

Yesi am wanting to claim will someone tell me how to claim scratch off and powerball mega tickets ell. Me how to claim scratchNC Lottery
Hi Shannon, there are a few ways to claim a prize. For tickets purchased from a retailer you can visit any lottery retailer to validate your ticket and claim your prize. Lottery retailers can cash prizes up to $599. Prizes $600 and greater must be claimed at a lottery office. Online play wins up to $99,999 can be claimed entirely online. Follow the instructions in the message notifying you that you won. Once you have completed the claim form, your winnings will be automatically deposited into your wallet.

12/09/2020 09:15 - Dave D.

Got account with NC LOTTERY. I BOUGHT 8 TICKETS FOR DECEMBER 9TH DRAWING. HOW CAN YOU KEEP THE SAME NUMBERS TO PLAY ON FUTURE DRAWINGSNC Lottery
Hello David, if you look at your Transaction History and then go to Past Draws there is an option to repurchase the same numbers.

12/01/2020 06:48 - Wanda F.

its the smaller payouts that keeps me from playing like i use too. you basely have get least 4+pb to win any money not worth it.seeing i've played every day since it started and have not won no more than $500 dollars. and i've spend way more.

11/25/2020 09:52 - Natalie R.

????????? still a lot of money for anyone person.

11/14/2020 08:05 - Takesha W.

I haven't been able to purchase tickets for several days. Is there a problem with my account?? NC Lottery
Hi Takesha sorry you're having trouble. We're not reporting any issues today so please go ahead and reach out to our 24/7 online support team who'll be happy to take a look at what's going on https://nclottery.com/Help

11/09/2020 09:22 - Kathy B.

This is the only place I can find to ask a question. I understand where the power play in marked on the ticket to pick the numbers. But on the ticket where your numbers are listd, the ticket you turn in to win, where is the Power Play number listed on that ticket? Thank youNC Lottery
Hi Kathy, directly above your numbers you should see the text "POWER PLAY" when you have chosen that option when buying ticket. The Power Play multiplier number is then randomly drawn during the Powerball drawing. You'll find this number listed on our website next to the Powerball numbers. https://nclottery.com/Powerball

11/05/2020 08:05 - Sterling B.

I am becoming extremely suspicious about power ball tactics! I have been participating since on came to NC. Seems like it's been @15 years now. There is no doubt in my mind that sales are WAY back UP! Go back to the real payouts!

11/01/2020 04:46 - Kelli S.

I got PB and one number which is about what most any of us will get—$4?? And the same prize for someone who just got the PB? Maybe more smaller prizes would increase sales? I won’t be buying a ticket often if I only get $4 for 2 of 5 numbers ??

10/31/2020 06:34 - James I.

Go back when they changed the payouts to basically NOTHING , PB is doing this to themselves. They got greedy by changing the odds &the payout structure now its coming home to roost, Old Days spend $20, Get 2 numbers and the power ball and win $27 . Just the latest drawing as this post show only 3 people in the state won $200, and 6 won $100,thats a joke with the money they take in . Things, start off great and in an effort to make more GREED finally is catching up and when people realize they simply cannot win there money back EVER, they stop playing, Just from me alone they lost a couple thousand dollars a year from me playing $20 to $40 per draw to ONLY playing when it gets super high like over $500 million. Nobody wants to play a suckers game and the lottery folks decided to make it just that so you made your bed,lay in it until you actually want to treat folks like you'd wish to be treated, FAIRLY.

10/17/2020 04:31 - Salim A.

not able to buy tickets online anymoreNC Lottery
Hey Salim, Sorry about that! Please reach out to our online support team at nclottery.com/Help and they can look into what's preventing you from being able to purchase tickets.

10/17/2020 08:16 - Peter D.

What I find ridiculous is getting only $100 for getting four numbers right. Overall there needs to be higher prizes for getting 2, 3,4 numbers right. I don’t play to win the big prize I play to get a couple of numbers right.

10/13/2020 09:32 - Todd P.

Would you please make it where I can pay play Can play play Pick three online alsoNC Lottery
Thanks for the feedback, Todd! At this time we don't have any plans to add Pick 3 to Online Play, but we appreciate you sharing that that is something you're interested in having added.

10/03/2020 09:30 - stephen b.

for all of you people that HATE powerball and mega millions like I do....PLAY cash 5 and lucky for life...THE OddS ARE 1000 TIMES BETTER AND you actually win more with lucky for life on small prizes..and cash 5 is always worth $1.00 to win $100,000 any day of the week..so invest in these two games instead of powerball and mega...odds are almost impossible to win anyway!!!

9/28/2020 10:39 - Felicia L.

Do the online purchases need to be signed? NC Lottery
Hi there Felicia, We're not sure what you mean. In order to purchase tickets online, you do not need to sign anything.

9/19/2020 08:09 - Scott W.

If a large amount or even the jackpot is won online, how is the winner notified? Is it by email or another form of contact? NC Lottery
When you win, you will receive an email notifying you that you have won. You will also be prompted to start or complete your claim online when you sign into your account following an Online Play win.

9/11/2020 10:04 - Rosetta C.

How do I see/locate my past numbers I’ve purchased online?NC Lottery
Hi there Rosetta, Just click on your username to open your dashboard, there you should see the option to view your transaction history. Once you've clicked on that, you can choose to view past purchased draws or upcoming draws. Hope this helps!

9/03/2020 07:55 - Richard B.

It's the new normal, hopefully things will get better...

8/12/2020 11:26 - Wilmer S.

Why are you putting folks business out into the steets to be hounded?

8/08/2020 06:26 - Ronell B.

How do I collectNC Lottery
Hi Ronell, Prizes under $600 can be claimed at most retail locations. Prizes from $600 to $99,999 can be claimed at our regional claim centers or lottery headquarters, and prizes of $100,000 or more are claimed at our headquarters in Raleigh. Be sure to always sign your ticket and if you have any additional questions just call Customer Service at 877-962-7529.

8/05/2020 11:05 - Ken E.

ALVIN B. and PONCIANO E. I also agree. That much money is not healthy for one person. It's much easier to manage 1 million than 88 million. If 5 people won twice a week I'd buy more tickets...jus' sayin'.

8/03/2020 08:05 - Thomas E.

so many people miss the point of a lottery. lets go back to the irish lottery of the 60's You bought a ticket for 50 cents. Tickets were sold the world over. Your odds were 1 in 100 million for a #1 million dollar prize. That is 10 million in todays money, 2.5 million based on equivilent jackpot values. nobody ever won back then either. well they did but, find that one grain of gold painted brown in the South East coast line and you to can dream for real! This is all about the dream. nothing about reality. Enjoy SOMETHING won't you?

8/01/2020 12:09 - Alvin B.

I agree 100% with Ponciano E.

7/14/2020 07:05 - Ponciano E.

I never understood why you can't or won't pick more than 1 winner for the jackpot. If ten people could share even $20 million, that would change ten lives not just one. Imagine ten people sharing $100 million or more. That would probably increase sales.

7/11/2020 01:43 - Nikko H.

So, in essence, you doubled the price of the mortgage and said "it's okay, we're giving you a bigger house." Now you're taking the big house away but leaving the mortgage payment the same. That about the size of it?

7/10/2020 03:34 - Deanalyn M.

Mmm.... As much as people buy them you would thinkbit would be a little bit bigger and better then that?? Makes me think about that when I go get my draw tickets. But I will still purchase them tho.

7/05/2020 03:36 - Sebastian R.

Y'all have it rigged so few people are able to able to win, make it easier to win less money and people will start playing Chances of winning are terrible

6/22/2020 03:13 - Patricia M.

I think the reason ticket sales are down so much is because of the $2 price tag. I know that I used to buy about 5 times as many tickets when it was $1.00. It's just not worth $2 a draw so I just buy one ticket per drawing. You know, the higher price tag does not make the odds of winning any higher. You play against the numbers, not the number of tickets sold or the number of people playing. So if you were wanting to keep people from winning more often, you should put more numbers on it instead of raising the price (although I think there are too many number choices on there already). I know a lot of people that totally stopped playing when the price went to $2--that's a 100% increase! If you want more participants, you need to make the lottery more affordable for more people.

6/21/2020 11:50 - NC Lottery

The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292,201,338. It’s not easier to win the jackpot in one state over the other; it's just that states with larger populations have more players. Good luck to you!

6/21/2020 11:49 - NC Lottery

Hi Pam, Powerball has been available in NC since 2006. So far we’ve had five Powerball jackpot winners. Our first jackpot winner was in November 2006. Jackie Alston of Halifax won $74.5 million. The second jackpot winner was in June 2009, winning $88.1 million – that prize went to Jeff Wilson of Kings Mountain. In February 2010 we had another jackpot winner. Frank Griffin of Asheville received $141 million. Next was, Marie Holmes of Shallotte. She claimed a $188 million jackpot in February 2015. Finally, our most recent winner came in June 2019. Charles W Jackson Jr. took home a $344.6 million jackpot—the largest win in North Carolina history. That’s just jackpot winners of course. There are many others who win prizes like Shanika Miller of Durham who won $2 million when she added Power Play to her ticket and won in April.

6/20/2020 10:57 - Pam M.

How many years has the powerball been in N.C. How many times has the powerball been won in NC? Is just doesn’t appear that N.C. has even a small chance to win the powerball jackpot.

6/14/2020 10:16 - Gerald W.

With Pick 3 & Pick 4, why don't you make it where the numbers are dropped once. No more 667! NC Lottery
Each drawing is an independent event, meaning it doesn't matter what numbers were drawn for the previous drawings, because your chances of matching the winning numbers in Pick 4 will always be 1 in 10,000. If your numbers were drawn today, the chance of them being drawn tomorrow is still 1 in 10,000. Same with any other combination of numbers like 667.

6/13/2020 09:41 - Jacob R.

I think North Carolina should have just a powerball just for north Carolina. Win lower amounts and let more people win.NC Lottery
Thanks for the suggestion, Jacob! A part of the reason games like Powerball and Mega Millions can offer such large prizes is because they are national games that are funded by ticket sales in all of the participating states. But we're always interested in hearing ideas on what types of games our players enjoy, so thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts here!

6/10/2020 07:49 - Candace R.

So the Powerball was at $136 million and no one won on the 3rd but now the jackpot is only at 22 million. Where did the money go? I definitely won't be playing if money is disappearing. It did the same thing for the mega millions. NC Lottery
Hi Candace, Our website only shows winners in North Carolina for the Mega Millions and Powerball drawings. The $410 million Mega Millions jackpot for the June 9th drawing was won by a ticket in Arizona and the June 3rd Powerball jackpot was won by a ticket in West Virginia.

6/07/2020 06:30 - dondellia M.

Maybe if there were more winners from the North Carolina area more North Carolinians would would buy tickets. NC Lottery
Hi Dondellia. So far we’ve had five Powerball jackpot winners. Our first jackpot winner was in November 2006. Jackie Alston of Halifax won $74.5 million. The second jackpot winner was in June 2009, winning $88.1 million – that prize went to Jeff Wilson of Kings Mountain. In February 2010 we had another jackpot winner. Frank Griffin of Asheville received $141 million. Next was, Marie Holmes of Shallotte. She claimed a $188 million jackpot in February 2015. Finally, our most recent winner came in June 2019. Charles W Jackson Jr. took home a $344.6 million jackpot—the largest win in North Carolina history.

6/05/2020 11:35 - Carlton w.

How can I view my online purchases? NC Lottery
Hi Carl. You can view your online purchases on your desktop by clicking the down arrow next to your name in the upper right hand corner of the screen. Then click on Transaction History and you should see your past purchases once you click on cart purchases. I hope this helps!

6/04/2020 06:53 - Marcus W.

I use to play online all the time but now it requires me to fill out and notarize a document in order to continue to play. This is crazy because if I win anything over $500 I have to come in and claim the prize anyway. It’s hard to believe that you guys haven’t lost a lot of business in online sales because of this. Even at the machines it only requires a NCDL to make a purchase. You’ve taken something simple and made it Fort Knox.NC Lottery
We hear you and we understand your frustration, Marcus. We have steps in place in order to verify each player's identity to confirm who they are an that they are over 18. Since prizes up to $99,999 can be claimed entirely online, these security steps are also to ensure that the person playing online is who they say they are.

5/29/2020 08:12 - Kay B.

this will be my last week of playing for a while, never win big, a $ here and there. Time to stop

5/26/2020 02:03 - Stephen W.

03666-*****-*****-*****-***** NC Lottery
Hi Stephen, We wanted to let you know that we removed part of the code you commented for your security. You can enter that code for Lucke-Rewards points by going to Lucke-Rewards/Ticket Entry on our website or via the menu ‘Manual Ticket Entry’ with our mobile application. You can then use those points to enter our monthly and weekly Lucke-Rewards drawings. Hope this helps!

5/19/2020 10:23 - WADE B.

And thats the up~date today May 19 in the year 2020 Unless the situation room ,see's & ? Four:C's Requiring Public attention.so for now Just play, 4 you can not Win Unless You Play = don't @ me +++Get Playing & don't forget WIN 'win'WiN'any X$s you. !! Win ? Stop Look be Gratefull Luck was on your team Your heart will fill-in any Blanks Good Luck to ALL

5/08/2020 04:55 - sharon n.

You use to show us did we win when ever we chose our own numbers. Where do you Find that now?NC Lottery
Hi Sharon, You can view your past numbers by clicking into our Dashboard and then visiting your "Transaction History". On that page you should be able to view past numbers. Hope this helps answer your question!

5/07/2020 08:05 - John M.

SUGGESTION: You folks used to list the winner's location when Cash 5 pays out a jackpot. You stopped. That would be nice to see. ALONG with a list (online?) of the history (1-2-3) years of where winning tickets are sold. I live in WNC, and rarely ever see anyone west of hickory win anything. NC Lottery
Hey there John, We post the city or town where a jackpot-winning ticket was purchased over on the Cash 5 page (https://nclottery.com/Cash5). We also post the specific retail location of winning tickets on our twitter page - we encourage you to follow us to stay in the know about the latest winning ticket locations! If you're interested in seeing a full list of past jackpot winners, you'll need to submit a public information request since that is not info that the blog team has on-hand. All you have to do is email your request to player.info@lotterync.net and someone will get a list together for you.

5/06/2020 04:28 - Imari W.

Why are the drawings delayed, ff you all allow other prizes to be claimed online temporarily? Why not let the individuals know they won and once the order is lifted allow them to go and claim their prize?NC Lottery
We made the decision to delay our promotional drawings in an effort to help protect not only our players, but our employees as well. We plan to conduct those drawings as soon as possible.

5/06/2020 04:08 - Imari W.

Hello NC Lottery, for the lucky rewards drawings. It says the drawing date for the April Fool's contest is May 6th. Will y'all at least let the winners know via email, after May 6th, that they have won?NC Lottery
Hey Imari, We have postponed the drawing date for our Lucke-Rewards and second-chance drawings while the stay-at-home order is in effect. We plan to conduct the delayed drawings as soon as possible.

5/06/2020 02:01 - Diana L. S.

Hello nclottery when you will be open to the public the headquarters in raleigh ?NC Lottery
Hi Diana, At this time we do not have a firm time-frame for when we plan to reopen. You can stay up to date with the latest changes to lottery operations at http://nclottery.com/Bulletin. Thanks!

5/03/2020 05:47 - kelly g.

It’s cheating. They doubled the ticket price and doubled the prize. Now they are going back on that. If they drop prize they should drop the price back to $1.

5/02/2020 09:54 - James B.

aThe raising of ticket cost and adding more numbers for the white balls and me not being able to play 36 for Powerball is what killed it for me and I'm sure it also did for alot of other players!

5/02/2020 09:52 - Georgie R.

first off I am glad there is no 5 dollar minumum purchase anymore online. I should be able to just buy 1 ticket if I want to. And Im glad yall stop asking to verify your location everytime you logged in. It made me feel this was rigid, like you know what area you want to let win. Besides all that, the price went up to 2 dollars so it could be more winners, but it seems the same. when the jackpot reaches over 300 million, 1 person shouldn't win so much money. the jackpot should be s split of 5 or 6 ppl or the jackpot should include having at least 5 or 6 ppl win 1 million

4/30/2020 10:57 - ken s.

why can't the payouts in crease for 4 matching balls? You should win more than $100 if you match 4 balls. The same goes for 3 and 2 etc.the payouts should be higher.

4/30/2020 08:42 - Phillip B.

You people that run the power ball should give it away more often and have more winners big winners like 100000,or more at each drawing spread it around instead of haveing one winner of billiondollers.It lookes like you give it away when you want to.NC Lottery
Hi Phillip, We hear you, but we wanted to let you know that the lottery does not control when or if someone wins in a drawing. Lotteries have strict security procedures in place to ensure that every single drawing is conducted fairly and according to those secure procedures.

4/25/2020 08:44 - Diana L. S.

Where in north carolina was sold the only 1million powerball ticket from april 8 drawing ?NC Lottery
Hi Diana, The winning ticket was sold at the Speedway on S. Main Street in Salisbury, NC. Thanks!

4/24/2020 08:38 - Diana L. S.

Hi , Where the 1 million powerball from april 8 was sold

4/20/2020 12:38 - Allen B.

I know about the refund available to those that bought powerball and/or mega millions tickets on a multi draw from an earlier date. My question is, if I bought my tickets here on the nc lottery website, would I still need to fill out a form for the refund and mail it in or will mine be automatically refunded to my account at a certain date? And if automatic...do you know the date? Thanks.NC Lottery
Hi there Allen, Players with multidraw tickets that qualified for a refund should have received an email last week with information on their refund. Refunds for online play purchases were automatically credited to the player's account and should be processed within 7 business days. All of these online play purchase refunds will be processed by the end of this week. Hope this helps!

4/18/2020 01:27 - Douglas H.

I was playing this lottery for years and my luck are not good but i am not giving up. During to this Corona and very hard time i believe there going be a better luck for me. I never win nothing but the hig of $8. I played lottery for 14 years. Not giving up. A better days are coming

4/15/2020 09:18 - Paula M.

I purchased quick pick tickets online but I can't see the numbers so I don't know how to find out if I've wonNC Lottery
Hey there Paula! To view your numbers, just go to your dashboard by clicking your username and then select "transaction history". From there you should be able to view your past numbers and upcoming numbers for draws.

4/13/2020 04:22 - Greg L.

MY opinion is to make more winners rather than hold out for the grand prize of 20 million +. The odds are too astronomical for me. I realize they need to be there so the mathematician gamers can't win. But maybe you could limit ticket sales to make it so more players could win rather than just 1 winner.

4/13/2020 12:23 - Dwight T.

The tickets should also go back to the original price of 1 dollar and 2 for power play.

4/12/2020 08:42 - Eugene H.

The odds of hitting the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292,201,338, and the odds of hitting the Powerball (match 5) million dollar prize are 1 in 11,688,054. For perspective, the odds of getting struck by lighting are about 1 in 700,000, and the odds of getting struck twice are 1 in 9,000,000. Winning either of the above mentioned prizes would be a rare event. If you want to gamble, buy oil stocks. Some of them are as low as $3 right now. The NCLC will tell you the lottery is entertainment--hogwash, it is gambling. Why do they have a gambling hotline?

4/12/2020 06:08 - Marvin L.

If you go back to $1.00 a play I believe the sales will be revived !! Most people aren’t going to breake the bank playing a game with the odds so high, although I do play from time to time but very minimal spent on this game... cost too much !!!

4/11/2020 11:31 - DAVID B.

You explained 20 Mil of the 190 Mil which was not won on 4/8/20, where did the other 170 Mil go? If we are offered $1.00 prizes why do we still have to pay $2.00 per ticket. I am very disappointed with the powerball lottery.NC Lottery
Hey David, The jackpot was in fact won on 4/8 by a ticket purchased in New Jersey.

4/10/2020 08:25 - HARLAN C.

Why is not listed on nc lottery page that 1 person won the powerball on 4/8/20NC Lottery
Hi Harlan, Only wins in North Carolina are listed on our website. The most recent Powerball jackpot win was in New Jersey.

4/10/2020 05:22 - dave h.

I think a lot of people are starting to wake up. ??

4/10/2020 03:06 - kim c.

so until jackpots are reset can you still no longer do multiple drawings?NC Lottery
Hi Kim, You can still purchase multiple drawings. We extended refunds to folks who purchased multidraw tickets before the changes were announced and so they didn't have the information on the changes when they made their purchases.

4/09/2020 10:34 - Michael A.

What happens with $170 million left over from jackpot that wasn't won on 4/8? NC Lottery
Hey Michael, there was in fact a winner of last night's $190 million Powerball jackpot. The winning ticket was sold in New Jersey.

4/09/2020 08:01 - Sarah B.

@KATHLEEN K.:We hear you. You will be refunded the value of the remaining drawings on your multidraw ticket purchased on or before Wednesday, March 25 with remaining plays beyond March 25, 2020. Or, if you purchased a multidraw ticket between March 26, 2020 through April 2, 2020 with remaining plays beyond April 2, 2020. In addition to the refund, you keep your Powerball ticket as a free ticket and it remains valid in those drawings. Your ticket can win any of the nine prizes in the Powerball game, including the jackpot, but any prizes won will be paid under the game’s new prize structure. If you have made one of those Powerball multidraw purchases, please call Customer Service. You can get additional information about the refund and download a form for requesting one at https://nclottery.com/ClaimPrizes.

4/08/2020 09:27 - Lynne F.

What is the actual reason why Pick 3 & 4 aren't available to play online but Cash 5 is? I would appreciate an answer to this question finally. Please don't just say they aren't available. We already know this. I want the real reason they can't be played online like the other games. Thanks.NC Lottery
Hi Lynne, The reason that Pick 3 and Pick 4 are not available to play online at this time is because when the lottery commission approved the sale of tickets online, they only did so for Powerball, Mega Millions, Cash 5 and Lucky For Life.

4/08/2020 05:38 - Kathleen K.

I am really disappointed. First of all this Cicorvd19.. Doesn't effect how folks play. Then to revert back to the most the 1990s game but not reducing the white balls to a lesser amount like before is a load of you know what. A lot of states have on line purchasing... So give me a break. I believe revert back will reduce lottery sales. I am one that buys multi- draws..,and some of my will not expire until early June. NC Lottery
Hi Kathleen, Please see our reply above.

4/08/2020 03:58 - trina M.

What is the tax percentage?NC Lottery
Hi Trina, All wins over $5,000 are subject to minimum state and federal withholding. The current rates are 5.25% for state and 24% for federal.

4/08/2020 12:30 - Melissa R.

It’s because you raised the price to 2.00 ?? it use to be $1.00

4/08/2020 08:06 - Imari W.

What happens if the winning powerball ticket is sold online? How can someone claim that way? Signing the ticket will not be possible. NC Lottery
Hi Imari, great question. We will send you an email notification and wins under $600 will be automatically deposited into your wallet! If you won greater than $600, you will receive an email notification with instructions on how to claim.

4/08/2020 04:32 - Niponda R.

I don't know if I won. NC Lottery
Hi Niponda. You can check to see if you have a winning ticket by using the NC Lottery mobile app to scan your ticket or on your desktop going to https://nclottery.com/PowerballCheck

4/07/2020 10:20 - Joe C.

how and where do I check the numbers (mega & power ball) played 04/07/2020? NC Lottery
Hi Joe. You can look up past drawings for Powerball on NCEL website. Here's the link: https://nclottery.com/PowerballPast and for MegaMillions you can go to: https://nclottery.com/MegaMillionsPast

4/06/2020 09:12 - Shane M.

It's rigged so that the government can take all the money when needed , from from we the people right . It doesn't go to schools if that where the case then all the schools would be brand new with all the right necessities needed to teach our children and pay our teachers way more money just saying NC Lottery
Hi Shane, we encourage you to visit this page to see specifics on where the lottery funds were distributed last year. You can even filter by county. It's important to remember that the legislature—not lottery officials—decide where to distribute lottery money. Last year, we raised over $700 million that was used for school construction, pre-k programs, financial aid, transportation, and salaries for school workers.https://nclottery.com/Education

4/06/2020 06:59 - Karl K.

I like the added $1 Power Play. Why isn't it available for NC online purchses?NC Lottery
Hi Karl, It is most definitely available! Once you click "Buy Now Online" and you have selected how many plays you want, just click "Add to cart". On the next screen of the pop-up, you will be asked if you wish to add the Power Play. You can toggle it over to say "yes" and then click "Checkout". Hope this helps!

4/06/2020 02:04 - vonetta p.

If ticket sales went back to $1 then I would play more often. Since tickets went to $2 and $3 for power play me and my lottery pool play less and less til now we just don't play at ALL! I have been playing for 20yrs and still no big hit! Starting to think it's rigged!!

4/05/2020 10:52 - WADE B.

I understand , the parts about the lack of sales revenue vs pay*outs are not where they were. & possably , might not be for ,a very long time.Jk if a winner of from 1million + I believe a choice to pay taxes or directly fund foundations desperatly needing HELP Now as our current ,Pandemic continues to smother millions each day. In reality-Real Victims need REAL-Help now not waiting on .gov to decide.They have proven their unreal ignorance of the situation. Give Real dedicated people the opportunity to do as they know what should have been done. WB.

4/05/2020 08:00 - William A.

what is the percentages on these games. I would like to know how much the House?POWERBALL/NC Lottery gets out of these draw games.NC Lottery
Hey William, The blog team doesn't have that info on-hand, but if you email player.info@lotterync.net someone will work to get that to you.

4/05/2020 01:20 - Clarence H.

If I win I get all of the money and pay the Taxes only? Are you saying there's no more cash option.That will be awesome.

4/05/2020 01:10 - Clarence H.

Do a guarantee $20 million mean that there's no cash option one will get the #20 million plus taxes only? NC Lottery
Hi Clarence, as the jackpot was not hit before the April 8 drawing, the next starting jackpot amount will now be based on ticket sales and interest rates. The top prize of Powerball is still an annuity, a cash option would also be available.

4/05/2020 08:53 - Shannon T.

I understand what the changes mean. What I am saying that is not what written above. The sentence says “That means the game will NOT have a guaranteed starting jackpot of $20 million or a guaranteed increase between drawings of $2 million.”NC Lottery
Hi Shannon, that statement is correct as it applies to drawings after April 8. Now that the next drawing is the April 8 drawing, that means the jackpot amount is not guaranteed to be $20 million and could be a lower amount should the jackpot be won and the starting amount is reset.

4/05/2020 05:38 - JAMES R W.

So I read over most of the comments...Did the question get answered about why not put pick 3&4 online as well?NC Lottery
Hi James, the Lottery Commission has not approved the sale of Pick 3 and Pick 4 tickets online at this time. We appreciate knowing that players would like to see those games available online though, and the folks that manage our draw games read this blog.

4/05/2020 03:27 - danny w.

People need to get off this color B.S we are all one so grow up and pull together.

4/04/2020 10:32 - Feliciano R.

The possibility of winning on the scratch offs need to increase. If that would happen, then more people would invest and buy more tickets.

4/04/2020 05:20 - Candace R.

Thanks for the update. Stay safe.

4/04/2020 01:31 - James G.

Guys nobody cares about the prize past $50 million, really. If I hit 2 numbers and the powerball, I should be getting $1,000. Then more people would buy tickets..

4/04/2020 11:15 - ray n.

Drop the price back to a dollar per ticket and watch the sales skyrocket, it's not rocket science it's simple math, Personally since both PB & Mega went to $2 I only play the higher jackpot.

4/04/2020 10:37 - Natalie D.

so when I win the big prize - how do I collect if all the centers are cloaed?NC Lottery
Hi Natalie, players with big winning tickets should sign the back of the ticket and keep it in a safe place. Once the Claims Centers reopen, the player can then come in and claim their prize.

4/04/2020 06:27 - william t.

I can't believe someone just asked why whites are listed and one African American wow! So are you implying the system is rigged by area? How silly ?? Ask a more sensible question(s) like why design your scratch offs to make loser's look like you almost won.. let's see who gets this.. or why has no one really benefited from the cash 5 ez match except the lottery folks getting that extra dollar? And again, making losing tickets look like you almost won.. now those are legit questions lolNC Lottery
Hi William, our scratch-offs indicate how to play on the face of each ticket. However, additional information is available on the information page for each scratch-off on our website. You can review those here: https://nclottery.com/ScratchOff?gt=0

4/04/2020 03:21 - Frederick J.

I love to win

4/04/2020 12:36 - lori j.

Thank u and may everyone stay safe prayers for all

4/03/2020 11:36 - Nethaniel C.

I agree with lloyd m. You should add those games to the online options and actually advertise to people the change. I work for a fast station change in a big store and alot of our lottery sales are the pick 3 and 4. That would hurt my company to lose the sales all together but at the end of the day it makes is safer til this is over.

4/03/2020 09:04 - Louis A.

Yes the mega millions has posted a change also. I think this is a little low!NC Lottery
Hi Louis, as with Mega Millions, the starting jackpot and jackpot increases will now be determined by ticket sales and current interest rates.

4/03/2020 08:03 - William P.

Love to see Keno online. NC Lottery
Thanks for the suggestion, William! We don't have plans to take Keno online at this time, but the folks who make those decisions always appreciate hearing player feedback.

4/03/2020 07:44 - vanessa b.

why cani cant enter my ticket in second cketchance ticket it say i dont have permissionNC Lottery
Hi Vanessa, please reach out to our online tech support team using our chat option on the help page. https://nclottery.com/Help They are available 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. everyday and best equipped to assist you.

4/03/2020 05:30 - LLoyd M.

Hi , is There A Chance That We Could Play Pick 3 and Pick 4 Online Temporarily At least. Until The Pandemic Is Over ?NC Lottery
Hi Lloyd, right now we don't have any plans to add those games to our Online Play system, but we appreciate knowing that is something you are interested in.

4/03/2020 10:04 - michael z.

People need to relax. Everything is slower now because of the Covid-19 virus. The lottery games are played when people have extra cash in their pockets. With 10 million plus people being layed off in the last 2 weeks because of the virus, they no longer that extra money to buy a ticket. Once this virus has past and people are working again, I am sure we will see the lotteries and their jackpots flourish again.

4/03/2020 08:25 - Rebecca C.

is mega millions going to make changes too ? NC Lottery
Hi Rebecca. No. This change only applies to Powerball.

4/03/2020 08:19 - Shannon T.

I think there’s a typo in the first paragraph. It says “the game will not have a guarantee of $20 million.” I’m assuming it should say “will now have.” I thought that might be a little confusing, but I could be wrong. NC Lottery
Hi Shannon. This is NOT a typo. If the jackpot is won on Saturday night, the drawing on Weds. April 8 will reset to a guaranteed jackpot of $20 million. However, if the jackpot is not won on Saturday night, the next time the jackpot is won it will reset to an amount based on ticket sales and interest rates ( It could be $10M, $12M, $20 million, etc.). I hope that makes sense.

4/03/2020 07:56 - bruce s.

What happens after April 8th if no one wins the powerball jackpot? Does it still increase in $10 million increments? NC Lottery
Hi Bruce. If the jackpot is won on Saturday night, it will reset to a guaranteed $20 million for the April 8 drawing and continue to grow based off sales and interest rates. If it rolls, it will grow to a guaranteed $190 million for the April 8 drawing.

4/03/2020 07:33 - Claude D.

This is BS Sales will now tank.

4/03/2020 12:11 - Connie M.

Pretty sure that plunking down a few bucks fora chance isn't really prority at the moment but in reality, odds for a smaller win just got better. Would definitely #PaySomeForward if I won something. ?

4/02/2020 11:46 - LASETTE I.

Does this mean tickets will be 1.00 again? NC Lottery
Hi Lasette. Great question! No. The cost of a Powerball ticket is still $2 and the game odds will not be changed.

4/02/2020 09:06 - William A.

Looks like Powerball is on the way out! NC Lottery
Hi William. : We (understand) hear you, and we wish we had different news to share. Right now, with so many cities and states advising their residents to stay at home, player behavior is different. The safety of communities across our nation is on everyone’s mind, certainly on the minds of lottery players too, and those players are making different choices than even a short time ago.

4/02/2020 07:31 - charles m.

Why is it that all the winners Listed are white people and Just one African American person? NC Lottery
Hi Charles. In our experience, players – and winners – come from all walks of life. It’s important to note that winners are not required to take a photo, and while some choose to celebrate their good look by having their photo taken, the photos we share on here do not represent every single winner that we have across the state.

4/02/2020 06:53 - Jack W.

Every body should never buy PB or MB or any other game not in there state only why support PB and MB they need us in time like these and don't care about us when there making millions from the states. So I am done with any games not in NC only.

4/02/2020 06:51 - Sheila I.

...and the complainers still won't be satisfied ??

4/02/2020 06:23 - Rudolph P.

Wow,all the millions perhaps billions that the Powerball pulls in that they keep and they're saying they can't guarantee $20 million. I've noticed all these low payouts with the pick 3 in the past weeks since 'shelter in place', NCEL is doing the same. thing.

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April 2, 2020 Posted by NC Lottery at 4:59 PM

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