Powerball jackpot tops $600 million just in time for the holidays

December 22, 2023 Posted by NC Lottery at 1:08 PM

The Powerball jackpot could provide a massive boost for some last-minute holiday shopping as North Carolinians can play for a $620 million prize.

Saturday’s Powerball jackpot stands at a $620 million annuity that is worth $312 million in cash.

Monday’s Powerball drawing saw a $1 million prize won in North Carolina on a ticket bought at a Jackson County grocery store. It was one of only two $1 million prizes won in the country on Monday. The North Carolina ticket remains unclaimed.

In Wednesday’s Powerball drawing, a $3 Power Play ticket bought in Durham using Online Play matched the numbers on four white balls and the red Powerball to win $50,000. The prize doubled to $100,000 when the 2X multiplier hit.

If no one wins the jackpot on Saturday, the next Powerball drawing occurs on Christmas Day. The last Christmas Day Powerball jackpot win occurred 10 years ago on Dec. 25, 2013 when a ticket sold in Missouri won $71.5 million. Three Powerball jackpots have been won on Christmas Day.

Players can buy Powerball tickets at any lottery retail location or through Online Play on the lottery’s website, www.nclottery.com. The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292 million.

During the holiday season, Play Smart, Gift Smart raises awareness that lottery tickets are not appropriate gifts for kids as part of a national gift responsibly campaign. Research shows that the earlier someone participates in or is exposed to gambling, the more likely they are to develop a gambling problem later in life. Check out this blog to learn more and Play Smart, Gift Smart this holiday season.

5 COMMENTS

12/24/2023 11:55 - shirley b.

NCEL sending out trip triggers to increase sells but won't allow any trips to fall. Really???????????????????????????????NC Lottery
Hi Shirley, the odds of a particular triple coming out is always exactly 1 in 1,000. Those odds never change, no matter how recently or long ago a triple came out. We love it when popular numbers come up at random, because that means our players win a bunch of prizes! But for draw games to be fair, every number has to have the same chance of being drawn.

12/24/2023 06:26 - Francis H.

I'm the next millionaire

12/23/2023 10:09 - NC Lottery

Hi Tracy, we're sorry to hear you had this experience. Could you please contact the player hotline at 877-962-7529 and share the details of your issue so we could investigate further? The player hotline is available M-F 9am to 5pm on normal business days. Thanks!

12/23/2023 09:12 - Danielle Simone R.

I wish I could play, I won $450 online on the 19th and my money was never deposited. I called player services and they said it would take up to 5 business days and not 1-2 business days like it says online for withdrawal to a Visa debit card. Now there’s a banner alert saying that your offices are closed until 12/28. Glad I don’t have kids since Christmas is now cancelled for me. NC Lottery
Hi Danielle, we're sorry to hear you are having withdrawal issues. Our office is closed through Wednesday, but payment processing is completed by the banking institutions, which may have different schedules. You can contact our online play support team for more info directly by email, phone or chat at this link as well: https://nclottery.com/help

12/23/2023 01:17 - tracy l.

Warning to players. DO NOT USE the scanners in store. I scanned a ticket a multiple locations multiple times and the ticket checker said NOT A WINNER when it actually was. The store scanners are NOT consistent. Check online at lottery website. Never let a store clerk check your tickets for you. This has happened multiple times at multiple locations with winning tickets that scanners said were not. It’s one thing to throw away money playing the lottery but another thing when you are actually throwing away winning tickets because you trusted the ticket scanning machines.I won $50 off a ticket a patron left at the scanner because it said NOT A WINNER. I scratched it and it was a winner! Unfortunately never knew he actually bought the ticket. $50 is a $50 after all!

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Powerball jackpot tops $600 million just in time for the holidays

December 22, 2023 Posted by NC Lottery at 1:08 PM

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