RALEIGH – As changes in the Powerball game go into effect, the N.C. Education Lottery plans to make refunds for some multidraw Powerball tickets impacted by the change.
The Powerball changes, announced on Wednesday, March 25, included resetting the starting Powerball jackpot to a guaranteed $20 million, as an annuity, and setting the increase between drawings when the jackpot is not won to a minimum of $2 million. Previously, Powerball jackpots reset to $40 million, as an annuity, with minimum increases of $10 million.
The changes, allowed under the Powerball game rules, will go into effect immediately after the Powerball jackpot is won and reset. That means that some North Carolina Powerball players with multidraw tickets purchased on or before Wednesday, March 25, did not have time to consider those changes before they made their purchases.
Because the changes were immediate, the N.C. Education Lottery will refund to those players with multidraw tickets the value of the remaining draws they purchased. In addition to the refund, those Powerball players will keep their ticket as a free ticket and it remains valid for the drawings that it was purchased for. Any prizes won in those drawings, however, will be awarded under the new prize structure announced on Wednesday, March 25.
Players with those multidraw tickets should keep those tickets because they are still eligible to win one of the nine prizes offered in the Powerball game, including the jackpot, in any of the upcoming drawings in which plays were purchased. They should also call the lottery’s Customer Service helpline at (877) 962-7529 or check the lottery’s website, nclottery.com, for information on how to obtain a refund. Additional information will be available soon.
