Lots of winning moments happened in 2021

The new year is upon us, but let’s pause before 2021 officially ends and remember 21 of our favorite times of the year.

1. A Durham County COVID nurse was shocked by a $1 million win in a $300,000,000 Supreme Riches second-chance drawing.
2. A $731.1 million Powerball jackpot won in Maryland on Jan. 20 became the 4th largest in history of game. Powerball players won six jackpots in 2021.
3. Five North Carolina counties shared $60 million raised by the lottery for new school construction projects.
4. An Oakland County Lottery Club in Michigan won a $1.05 billion Mega Millions jackpot on Jan. 22, the third largest jackpot in U.S. history. A Brunswick County man won a $2 million prize in the same drawing. In all, Mega Millions players won six jackpots during the year.
5. The Jan. 23 Powerball drawing produced a “night of millionaires” as across the nation 43 tickets won $1 million to $2 million, including a $1 million win for a Forsyth County man in North Carolina.
6. The largest Keno prize won so far, $150,000, was shared by two Iredell County women.
7. Twists of fate led a Lincoln County man to one of the biggest wins of the year, a $10 million prize in the $10 million Colossal Cash game. He was one of two people who won a $10 million prize playing the lottery this year.
8. St. Patrick’s Day brings the luck with two winners sharing a $1.6 million Cash 5 jackpot, a $100,000 Powerball winner, and 5,530 winners in a Pick 3 Double Draw.
9. Lottery celebrated its 15th anniversary on March 30 after raising $8 billion for education.
10. Two Cash 5 tickets sold in Mecklenburg County split record Cash 5 jackpot of $2.1 million in the April 19th drawing.
11. Education Lottery scholarships helped thousands pay for their college education, including two new graduates of East Carolina University.
12. A Mecklenburg County woman was gifted a scratch-off for Mother’s Day and it turned out to be a $1 million winner.
13. A Winston-Salem man became the first winner of the $50,000 top prize with the new Cash 5 Double Play feature.
14. A Montgomery County man won the gift of a lifetime on his 66th birthday, a Corvette Stingray™ and $100,000 in cash.
15. Lottery raised most money ever in a year for education, $936 million.
16. For second time, the lottery achieved top certification in world for responsible gaming.
17. Trips of 8-8-8 in a Saturday night Pick 3 drawing paid out $4.9 million in prizes. Trips, the most popular set of Pick 3 numbers played, hit 13 times during the year.
18. A Carteret County man won $1 million in the first Monday night Powerball drawing.
19. Pick 4 players won a record $10.3 million when the numbers 0-0-0-0 come up in a Saturday drawing.
20. A Fayetteville man won two $25,000 A Year for Life prizes in the same drawing.
21. A Rowan County DOT worker became the first winner of the new $20 Fast Play game, winning a $132,830 jackpot plus $200,000 cash.

If you have some other winning moments of the year, including your own, please share with us in a comment on this blog.

Here’s hoping your good luck continues in all parts of your life in 2022.