New lottery draw game, Powerball Xs & Os, launches today

September 8, 2026 Posted by NC Lottery at 9:45 AM

Powerball and the National Football League are teaming up to debut Powerball Xs & Os, a new multi-state draw game offering an exciting new way to play the lottery.

Powerball Xs & Os provides an easy-to-play $5 draw game where players choose eight NFL team logos from a full lineup of all 32 teams. Match at least four logos in the drawing and win a prize. Match all eight and win the progressive jackpot. If no one wins the jackpot, it will continue to grow until it is won, just like the traditional Powerball game.

Ticket sales launch today, Sept. 8, and drawings will take place once a week at 10 p.m. ET on Sunday nights. The first drawing is scheduled for Sept. 13.

It is important to note that while this game is part of the Powerball family of games, it is not the same game. It has a completely different set of rules and prizes. Powerball Xs and Os results are randomly drawn and not based on, determined by, or dependent on the outcome of NFL games.

The overall odds to win a prize are 1 in 12.16. The odds to win the jackpot are 1 in 10.5 million.

For more information on the new game, click here.

For details on how money raised by the lottery makes a difference for education programs in all 100 North Carolina counties, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.

14 COMMENTS

9/16/2026 01:38 - NC Lottery

@Angela- We understand that the experience was not what you were expecting, and that could be very frustrating. We work so hard to produce games and winning moments that players will enjoy. Anytime a player feels those goals were not met, we want to address it. The results of Sunday night’s Powerball Xs & Os drawing were determined by rules set by the Multi-State Lottery Association, which operates the game. Under certain circumstances, the prize amounts for lower tier prizes can become pari-mutuel. That means prize money is pooled together and split equally among winning tickets. In Sunday’s drawing, lower tier prizes became pari-mutuel when sales of the game did not reach a set threshold. Our Customer Service team is available at 877-962-7529 or at player.info@lotterync.net if you have any additional questions or comments you'd like to discuss.

9/15/2026 06:14 - Ricky S.

That game is real shady. Goes from 20 grand down to $500 just because 3 people had 7/8 ??? No thank you.NC Lottery
Hi Ricky! There were more winning tickets than statistically expected across multiple prize tiers for this Powerball Xs & Os drawing. Combined with sales from the game's first drawing, this resulted in lower-tier prizes being paid on a pari-mutuel basis. Lower-tier prizes are only paid on a pari-mutuel basis when the prize liability limits are reached; otherwise, prizes are paid in full as listed in the prize/odds section of the website. If you have any additional questions or concerns, our customer service team is available at 877-962-7529 or at player.info@lotterync.net .

9/15/2026 02:05 - Angela A.

This is a prime example that the NCEL will never lost a dime! How they change the payout of 7/8 from 20,000 dollars to 7/8 to $500 dollars. This is not fair at all to players and please say nothing about this is a game for fun or it's a gamble, because we work hard for our money and when we take the chance and WIN then we should be PAID!NC Lottery
Hi Angela! Due to character limits we weren't able to respond directly under your comment, so we posted our response above. Thank you!

9/15/2026 09:44 - Chris S.

Why did X's and O's change from 7/8 from 20,000 dollars to 7/8 to $500 dollars NC Lottery
For some games, lower-tier prizes can be paid on a pari-mutuel basis when the prize liability limits are reached. When this happens, the prize pool for a prize tier is divided between the winners for that tier. There were lots of winners for the Powerball Xs and Os at the Match 7, Match 6, and Match 5 prize tiers. The liability limits were reached and so the pool for those specific prize levels was divided between winners in those tiers.

9/15/2026 09:24 - Chris S.

Why did X's & O's have match 7 of 8 at 20,000 and then after ticket sales change it to 5,000 ? I fill BAMBOOZLED !!! I wouldn't brought tickets.NC Lottery
Hi Chris! We appreciate you sharing this with us. We understand that the experience was not what you were expecting, and that can be very frustrating. We only want players to play if they’re enjoying themselves, so we hope you’ll only continue to play if you’re having fun. Our Customer Service team is available at 877-962-7529 or at player.info@lotterync.net if you have any additional questions or comments you'd like to discuss.

9/13/2026 11:04 - Kimberly D.

Another money grab, no thank you lol

9/11/2026 06:59 - Sheree P.

Let's go

9/10/2026 11:12 - Donny S.

@NCEL can you please start paying everyday we players win? Cause when we lose yall get your money and we shouldn’t have to wait until the next business day to get our money on wins over 599 I never been to a legit casino and didn’t get paid when I won no matter how much I won. We players need our money just like yall fair is fair!

9/09/2026 02:10 - Marion G.

Let the games begin!

9/09/2026 04:04 - Brian T.

Lol, all of you cheaters that work for the lotteries should hope that you never have to find another job. Shame to all of you that knowingly cheat society. This janky game shows exactly how emboldened you feel to cheat society at this point... NC Lottery
Hi Brian! All of our practices are independently reviewed and audited to ensure fairness to all of our players – including our draw games. These games are just meant to be for fun, if you're not having fun, we suggest you sit this one out. Thank you!

9/09/2026 02:42 - Michael L.

?? ??

9/08/2026 03:18 - Kevin P.

This seems pretty fun, $5 for a once a week drawing isn't too bad and the prize tiers aren't terrible. Is there any chance we can get Lotto America here in NC? That's only $1 a ticket ($2 with the multiplier), at 3 drawings per week. It's run by the same group behind Powerball. A lot of people have been asking for a lower priced ticket game (myself included) with a decent jackpot and prize tier, and I think it would do well here. NC Lottery
Hi Kevin! If you decide to play, we are crossing our fingers for you! Also, thanks for the suggestion. Player feedback like this helps us plan for the future of play, and we hope to continue expanding the games we can offer our players in the future!

9/08/2026 02:10 - Floyd P.

Hard pass! It's suppose to be the NC lottery, not Multi-state.NC Lottery
Hi, Floyd! Participating in multi-state games allows us to offer larger jackpot prizes for players who are interested in these games. We also have a variety of North Carolina Education Lottery-exclusive games, such as Carolina Cash 5, Pick 3, Pick 4, Keno, Cash POP!, our Fast Play games, and scratch-offs: https://nclottery.com/games

9/08/2026 10:27 - Angela A.

@NCEL yet another $5 draw game to play. Don't you all know this economy is hurting LOL! We need .25 cent games since it is all for FUN and you all say it!

New lottery draw game, Powerball Xs & Os, launches today

September 8, 2026 Posted by NC Lottery at 9:45 AM

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