Let’s celebrate an unforgettable year for North Carolina

With 2025 just around the corner, we want to take a look back at a truly amazing year for North Carolinians.

Whether it was winning a big cash prize, a once in a lifetime experience, or celebrating a new school opening, 2024 gave us lots to remember. Check out some highlights from the past year:

January: Powerball First Millionaire win for second straight year

• Pamela Bradshaw of Clinton rang in 2024 by winning $1 million and becoming the Powerball First Millionaire of the Year. Her win marked the second consecutive year that a North Carolinian took home the $1 million prize.

February: Players meet country superstar Luke Combs

• Ten winners of the Living Lucky with Luke Combs Second Chance Drawing traveled to Nashville. They enjoyed a private tour of the Country Music Hall of Fame and an intimate concert with country music star and North Carolina native Luke Combs at the legendary Ryman Auditorium.

March: Two new auditoriums in Cleveland County

• A large crowd gathered to celebrate the completion of two new state-of-the-art auditoriums at schools in Cleveland County, made possible by lottery-funded grants totaling $27.2 million. Both facilities now serve as a place for students to learn and the community to gather.

April: Robeson County woman can build dream house with $4 million win

• Carissa Jones of Pembroke and her husband couldn’t help but celebrate after winning a $4 million scratch-off prize. “I started crying,” she recalled. “My husband was jumping up and down.” She planned to use her win to build her “dream home.”

May: Lincoln County man wins $10 million on “wild hair”

• Sean McIntosh of Maiden said a “wild hair” convinced him to purchase a $50 scratch-off and it paid off when he uncovered a $10 million prize. He said life has been “a blur” since he won. He plans to invest his winnings to take care of his children.

June: Cutting the ribbon on the Tar Heel School

• A ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrated the opening of the new Tar Heel School in Bladen County, built with the help of $40 million raised by the lottery. Some students who moved to the new school previously attended class in a building built nearly 100 years ago.

July: Lottery ends year raising $1 billion for education

• For the second consecutive year, the lottery ended the fiscal year with over $1 billion raised for education in North Carolina. That major milestone would not have been possible without your play in 2024. That’s a win for all North Carolinians!

August: Randolph County man wins big thanks to fortune cookie

• A message inside a fortune cookie inspired John Carter of Trinity to try his luck on a $5 scratch-off and win a $200,000 prize. The fortune cookie message said: ‘Don’t miss out on your chance to win big.’ He planned to use his winnings to buy a fishing boat.

September: Lottery debuts the new Play Smart™ program

• The lottery formally launched its redesigned Play Smart™ program which includes games, interactive activities, tips and tools to help you play like a winner. Play Smart is your go to place for all things lottery.

October: A record $1.3 million digital instant win for Iredell County man

• Jeffrey Gazaille of Mooresville won a $1.33 million jackpot playing Bison Bonanza, the largest digital instant prize in North Carolina lottery history. Gazaille bought a $10 ticket and won the top level ‘Epic jackpot.’ The odds of that win were 1 in 3.1 million.

November: Cash POP joins the lottery lineup

• For the first time in years, the lottery introduced a new draw game to its lineup. Cash POP officially launched Nov. 17 with five drawings each day. The game is available exclusively at lottery retailers across the state.

December: Lottery achieves Level 4 status again

• Your lottery just achieved a certification for operating as one of the most responsible lotteries in the world for the third time. Based on an assessment by experts in responsible gaming, we have put in place the best practices for protecting our players and work to continuously improve them.

With so many memorable moments in 2024, we can’t wait to see what 2025 will bring!