RALEIGH – Nine lucky Powerball players in North Carolina got big wins ranging from $50,000 to $150,000 in Saturday’s Powerball drawing as folks tried their luck at a record jackpot. The jackpot did roll, however, and will set a new record of $1.3 billion on Wednesday, or $806 million cash.
Powerball sales on Saturday also helped to set a new single-day record for lottery ticket sales in the state of $23.3 million, including $17.2 million from Powerball alone. Earnings from sales will help the lottery meet its goal of raising $528 million for education this year. A sale of a single $2 Powerball ticket raises about 76 cents for education.
“It’s great that North Carolinians are winning prizes and raising money for education at the same time,” said Alice Garland, executive director of the N.C. Education Lottery. “That’s what the lottery is about. As we look to Wednesday’s jackpot, let’s keep this fun. The odds are long to win the jackpot, but it only takes one ticket to win.”
In Saturday’s drawing, four tickets won $150,000 and five won $50,000. Thousands of other smaller prizes were won. The nine wins came in eight different North Carolina counties. Winners have 180 days to claim their prizes.
The tickets that won $150,000 were $3 Powerball Play tickets that beat odds of 1 in 913,000 to match the numbers on four of the five white balls and the red Powerball. The regular $50,000 prize tripled after the 3X multiplier was drawn in the drawing. Those four tickets were sold at: Food Lion, Monroe Road, Charlotte, Mecklenburg County; Hasty Mart, N.C. 42, Clayton, Johnston County; Express Market, Taylors Bridge Highway, Clinton, Sampson County; and Freshway Food Mart, U.S. 117 South, Rocky Point, Pender County.
The tickets that won $50,000 also matched numbers on four of the white balls and the red Powerball, but because they were $2 tickets the prize was not multiplied. Those five tickets were sold at: Kangaroo Express, E. Swannanoa, Liberty, Randolph County; Pinedale Food Mart, U.S. 55 East, Pamlico County; Banoak Food Center, N.C. 10 West, Catawba County; Han-Dee Hugo’s, U.S. 220 Business North, Randleman, Randolph County; Kangaroo Express, Raeford Road, Fayetteville, Cumberland County.
Powerball is not the only lottery game making news. On Saturday, more than 5,000 Carolina Pick 3 tickets with the numbers 1-1-1 won $500 each when those numbers were drawn in the afternoon drawing. More than $1.9 million in prizes were won.
