Celebrating a 20-year win streak for North Carolina

With the lottery’s 20th anniversary approaching on Monday, we want to take a look back at a truly amazing two decades for North Carolinians. Winners from all across the state have seen their lives change overnight thanks to the purchase of a lottery ticket.

Check out some highlights from the past 20 years:

2006:

• The lottery welcomed Richard Garland of Newton, the first $100,000 top prize winner, in March 2006 to claim his prize. He won in the $100,000 Carolina Cash scratch-off game.

2007:

• Jackie Alston of Halifax claims North Carolina’s first Powerball jackpot. She collected her $74.5 million prize at lottery headquarters in February 2007.

2008:

• Reginald Joyner, a hospital employee from Farmville, won the first $1 million annuity. His big win came in February 2008 in the $100 Million Cash Spectacular scratch-off game.

2009:

• Kings Mountain resident Jeff Wilson's life changed when the Powerball ticket given to him by his father matched all six numbers in June 2009 winning an $88.1 million jackpot.

2010:

• Frank Griffin, a 66-year-old retired Asheville Fire Department employee, won a $141.4 million Powerball jackpot in February 2010.

2011:

• Three members of the Jones family in Greenville claimed a $57 million Mega Millions jackpot in September of 2011, the largest Mega Millions jackpot won in North Carolina.

2012:

• Renee Lail of Shelby, a winner of a second-chance drawing, won over $12,000 in cash and prizes playing a non-broadcast version of Wheel of Fortune in Las Vegas in May 2012.

2013:

• Rusty Hunter of Pfafftown wins $4 million top prize playing $4,000,000 Gold Bullion game. That was the biggest guaranteed instant prize in North Carolina at that time.

2014:

• Allen Boone Jr., a farm worker from Hubert in Onslow County, became the first player to win a $250,000 top prize playing All or Nothing. He matched all 12 numbers in November 2014.

2015:

• Dale and Robin Summey of Lexington won $10 million in the Ultimate Millions game in September 2015, the largest scratch-off prize in state history.

2016:

• Manalle Earnhardt of Salisbury won the first $1,000 A Day for Life prize in the Lucky for Life game when her dad bought her the lucky ticket in November of 2016.

2017:

• A family of 17 shares a $1.7 million Cash 5 jackpot in June 2017. The win set the record for the largest Cash 5 jackpot up to that point.

2018:

• Patricia and Barry Forrest of Raleigh become the first players to win $100,000 playing Carolina Keno in June 2018.

2019:

• Charles W. Jackson Jr. of Hope Mills claims a $344.6 million Powerball jackpot in June 2019, the largest lottery prize ever won in North Carolina.

2020:

• The numbers 9-9-9-9 in the Aug. 24 evening Carolina Pick 4 drawing added up to a $9.2 million win for lottery players, the most ever won in a single Pick 4 drawing up to that point.

2021:

• Allen Boger, a car salesman from Denver, was low on gas so he stopped at the gas station in February 2021 and left with a $10 million scratch-off prize.

2022:

• Gabriel Fierro of Cornelius took the numbers from his fortune cookie and used them in a January 2022 Mega Millions drawing, turning a $3 ticket into a $4 million prize.

2023:

• Wesley Barrett of Waco took a chance on a $10 Fast Play ticket in May 2023 and won a $1.14 million jackpot, the largest in Fast Play’s history at the time.

2024:

• Pamela Bradshaw of Clinton rang in 2024 by winning the Powerball First Millionaire of the Year promotion just after midnight on Jan. 1, 2024.

2025:

• Man Yo of New Bern tried her luck playing Monopoly and won a $6.7 million jackpot, the biggest digital instant prize in North Carolina lottery history. Her win came in April 2025.

2026:

• A lucky player bought a Powerball ticket at a Roanoke Rapids convenience store in January and won a $209.3 million jackpot, the second largest prize in North Carolina lottery history.

What a run of luck for North Carolinians! We can’t wait to see what the next two decades have in store for our state.