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NC lottery by the numbers: Top prizes claimed in state, US

The North Carolina Education Lottery has been around since 2005.

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By
Kaila Curry
, Audience Engagement Producer

The North Carolina Education Lottery has been around since 2005.

Van Denton, the director of corporate communications at the NC Education Lottery, said there are many people in North Carolina who have won the lottery multiple times.

"Most people who have played regularly over the last 16 years have won a lottery prize multiple times," he said. "Last year, the lottery paid out $2.54 billion in prizes, about $6.9 million a day on average. So there are lots of winners every day across our state."

"Some prizes make your day. Some make your week. And some are life changing. A few winners have won big prizes multiple times," Denton said.

Top lottery prizes claimed in U.S.

NC Education Lottery reaches $1 billion for education.

The top ten U.S. lottery jackpots of all time are:

1. $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 8, 2022 (one ticket, from California).

2. $1.586 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016 (three tickets, from California, Florida, Tennessee).

3. $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018 (one ticket, from South Carolina).

4. $1.35 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023 (one ticket, from Maine).

5. $1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022 (one ticket, from Illinois).

6. $1.08 billion, Powerball, July 19, 2023 (one ticket, from California).

7. $1.05 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021 (one ticket, from Michigan).

8. $768.4 million, Powerball, March 27, 2019 (one ticket, from Wisconsin).

9. $758.7 million, Powerball, Aug. 23, 2017 (one ticket, from Massachusetts).

10. $754.6 million, Powerball, Feb. 6, 2023 (one ticket, from Washington state).

In 2023, the NC lottery sold $11.9 million a day in tickets on average per day.

Denton said payment is easy for those who win.

If someone wins $599 or less, they can collect their prize from wherever lottery tickets are sold. If someone wins between $600 and $99,999, they can collect their prize at one of the lottery’s regional offices in Asheville, Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh, Greenville or Wilmington. If someone wins $100,000 or more, they claim their prize at lottery headquarters in Raleigh.

You can find more info on claiming a prize on the Claim Prizes website.
Denton said all the money raised by the lottery goes to support public education programs.

N.C. Education Lottery achieves record-breaking $1 billion for education in 2023

  • In a historic milestone, the N.C. Education Lottery achieved a groundbreaking feat by surpassing $1 billion in annual funds raised for public education programs in North Carolina.
  • The remarkable accomplishment was unveiled during a session of the N.C. Education Lottery Commission on Wednesday, marking the first instance in its history of reaching the billion-dollar mark in a single fiscal year through lottery ticket sales in 2023.
  • This places the lottery among an exclusive group of just 10 others in the U.S. that have achieved a comparable feat, generating $1 billion or more in a single year for their respective philanthropic causes.
Additional highlights include:
  • Surpassing the $10 billion mark in total funds raised for the state since its inception in 2006.
  • Setting a record with sales totaling $4.3 billion, averaging an impressive $11.9 million per day.
  • Distributing record prizes amounting to $2.8 billion, averaging $7.8 million daily.
  • Providing record commission and incentives to retailers, totaling $295.2 million.
  • The North Carolina General Assembly decides each year in the state budget how to use the money raised by the lottery.

NC winners of nationwide lottery jackpots

When the lottery was created in 2005, the law specified that 35% of revenue would go to education.

So far, seven North Carolinians have won a jackpot in either the Powerball or Mega Millions game, with jackpots ranging from $12.5 million to $344 million.

The biggest winner so far is Charles Jackson of Cumberland County who won a $344.6 million Powerball jackpot in June 2019 after using numbers from a fortune cookie.

A fun fact that people may not know, Denton said, is players can also win other prizes besides money. Lottery players can win fun trips and VIP experiences.

A Rutherford County man won $1 million as the Powerball First Millionaire of the Year, and part of the prize was a trip to New York City for New Year’s Eve celebration.
A Gaston County truck-stop cook won season tickets to Carolina Panthers for 20 years.

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