The North Carolina Lottery is one of the younger ones in the nation. It wasn’t until August 31, 2005 that a bill was signed into law establishing what would become the North Carolina Education Lottery. The first tickets were sold on March 30, 2006.
Since then the NC Lottery has donated millions upon millions of dollars to help public schools and provide higher education opportunities to the state’s children. Not only that, but the lottery has grown very, very quickly.
Despite its late beginnings, the North Carolina Lottery already offers iLottery, plus sports betting was recently approved statewide and it is the Lottery Commission that has oversight over the licenses being given out. The NC Lottery has not approved third-party lottery resellers as of yet, but the state has proven to be very progressive and that could happen down the line.
North Carolina Lottery Games
The North Carolina Lottery has a ton of games available for players. The NCEL participates in the multi-state drawings for Powerball, Mega Millions, and Lucky For Life, while also offering Cash 5, Pick 4, Pick 3, Cash Pop, and Keno as state-specific draw games.
Digital Instant Games, Fast Play Games at lottery terminals, and traditional Scratch-Off tickets are all also offered. North Carolina’s Lottery app is one of the industry leaders and also includes the Lucke-Rewards Players Club.
Players must be 18 or older to play the lottery. When sports betting starts, players must be 21 or older.
North Carolina Lottery Draw Games
Powerball
Like 44 other states, plus Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, North Carolina participates in the Powerball drawing every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET. Retail sales end at 9:59 p.m. ET and online sales end at 9:57 p.m. ET.
Five basic numbers are drawn from a pool of 1 to 69 and a Powerball from 1 to 26 is also picked. Each play costs $2 and matching up all six means the Jackpot, which starts at $20 million and grows with each draw that doesn’t have a grand prize winner.
While each play costs $2, there is a Power Play option to multiply non-Jackpot prizes for an extra dollar. North Carolina does not offer the Double Play, which is a secondary drawing held after the main one.
North Carolina became Powerball in 2006, during their first year of ticket sales.
Mega Millions
In 2010, North Carolina also added Mega Millions. Each play costs $2 for this drawing, which is held on Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. ET. Retail sales end at 10:45 p.m. ET and online sales end at 10:43 p.m. ET.
This is also a five-number draw with a sixth number known as the Mega Ball. The five main numbers range from 1 to 70 and the Mega Ball from 1 to 25. Along with the $2 price per play, a $1 optional add-on for the Megaplier is available to multiply non-Jackpot prizes.
The Jackpot for this game also starts at $20 million and grows with each draw without a grand prize winner.
Lucky For Life
North Carolina also participates in the daily Lucky For Life drawing, which is held nightly at 10:30 p.m. ET. Numbers with this game are drawn from 1 to 48 with a Lucky Ball from 1 to 18. It costs $2 to play and the grand prize is $1,000 a day for life. There is also a secondary prize for matching all five main balls that is $25,000 a year for life.
This game is played in Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming.
The North Carolina Lottery added the game in 2016.
Cash 5 Double Play
Cash 5 is the NC Lottery’s state-specific lotto drawing. This is a straight five-number draw with daily numbers at 11:22 p.m. ET. Ticket sales cut off at 10:59 for retail and 10:58 for online.
Numbers from 1 to 43 are picked with a Jackpot that starts at $100,000 and grows from there. Each play costs $1 and there is a second drawing known as the Double Play that costs another dollar. EZ Match is another $1 option to win up to $500. The Double Play grand prize is $50,000.
Pick 4 with Fireball
The Carolina Pick 4 with Fireball is drawn twice daily, with a day drawing around 3 p.m. ET and a nighttime draw around 11:22 p.m. ET. Each play costs 50 cents or $1, with Exact, Any Order, 50/50 (Exact/Any), Combo, Front Pair, or Back Pair as the play options available.
Five numbers from 0 to 9 are picked, with the fifth and final ball as the “Fireball”, which is essentially a “Wild” number that can replace any number of the four-digit combination to give you a winning ticket. Enacting the Fireball option doubles the cost of the ticket.
The top prize with this game is $5,000 on a $1 wager.
Pick 3 with Fireball
Pick 3 is Pick 4 minus one ball. The draw times are the same, 3 p.m. ET and 11:22 p.m. ET, and the concept is the same. The Fireball option doubles the price of a ticket and there are a variety of ways to win.
Four numbers from 0 to 9 are drawn to make a three-digit number plus a Fireball, which can be used as a wild to replace a number on your ticket. The possible play types here are Exact, Any Order, 50/50 (Exact/Any), Combo, Front Pair, or Back Pair. Base plays are 50 cents or $1 and the cost of a ticket grows based on the number of winning options.
Cash Pop
Cash Pop is drawn five times a day with the North Carolina Lottery. There are drawings at 9 a.m., 1 p.m. 5 p.m. 8 p.m. and 11:59 p.m. ET. In order, they are named Morning Buzz, Lunch Rush, Clock Out Cash, Primetime Pop, and Midnight Money.
With this game, players select from 1 to 15 numbers and prize amounts are randomly assigned at time of purchase. Sales close 15 seconds prior to each drawing. The prize amounts are at least 5x the wager amount.
The wager amounts are $1, $2, $5, or $10 per number.
Carolina Keno with Multiplier
Every four minutes, Keno numbers are drawn by the NC Lottery. There are 80 numbers available and the computer randomly selects 20 of them. Players pick anywhere from 1 to 10 numbers and can play $1, $2, $3, $5, or $10 per draw. There is also a multiplier option that could be as high as 10x.
The multiplier doubles the cost of the ticket. It is up to the player to choose how many spots they want to play and for how much. With a 10x multiplier and a $10 wager, the top prize in this game is up to $1 million.
North Carolina Lottery Digital Instants
The NC Lottery offers “Digital Instants” on its website and through the NC Lottery App. These are more or less scratch-less scratchers combined with slot machines. Games start as low as five cents per play and feature cash prizes based on matching the proper symbols or uncovering the right symbols.
The most expensive online Digital Instant is $30. Interested players can try demos of the games before they decide to use their Real Money balance to play. Like slot machines, the games feature bonus symbols that can be triggered for a bonus game within the game.
All of the games have the odds of winning and instructions on how to play.
North Carolina Lottery Fast Play Games
Fast Play Games are also available at approved North Carolina lottery retailers. These are printed by the computer terminal and have instant win prizes and symbols. These range from $2 to $20 and some feature Progressive Jackpots for matching the necessary symbols.
These are not available online. They are only available from a clerk at a lottery terminal or one of the self-serve vending machines around the state.
North Carolina Scratch-Offs
Traditional scratch-off tickets are also available with the NC Lottery. There are dozens of scratch-off games available at any time, including seasonal and holiday-themed games. On the NC Lottery website or through the NC Lottery App, you can see the prizes that are available, the cost of the ticket, and the end date for the game.
Lottery scratch-offs in NC range from $1 to as high as $50. These are only available at approved lottery retail locations and cannot be purchased online.
New scratch-off games are released on the first Tuesday of every month.
North Carolina Lottery App
This is one powerful tool to have in the palm of your hand. The NC Lottery Official Mobile App allows players to buy, scan, and win. You can purchase tickets through your account on the mobile app and maintain a Real Money balance. You can also set alerts and notifications for when numbers are drawn on games.
The Lottery App also includes the Lucke-Rewards program, which allows loyal players to accumulate points for second-chance drawings and other opportunities. It also has a location function to find the closest lottery retailer to where you are at. The Digital Instant games are available through the app as well.
North Carolina Sports Betting
The NC Lottery will soon begin handing out licenses for legal sports betting in the state. Tribes already have sports betting licenses in the mountains, but these licenses will be independent of those. That is expected to happen sometime in 2025.
How To Claim North Carolina Lottery Prizes
Prizes under $600 can be claimed at retailers, a regional claim center, the NC Lottery Headquarters, or by mail.
Players from $600 to $99,999 can be claimed at a regional claim center, the NC Lottery Headquarters, or by mail.
Prizes of $100,000 and up can only be claimed at the NC Lottery Headquarters in Raleigh.
For online prizes, anything less than $600 automatically gets deposited into your NC Lottery account.
Prizes from $600 to $99,999 can also get automatically deposited, but must be claimed online with a claim form and proper identification.
Prizes of $100,000 and up must be claimed in-person at the Raleigh Headquarters after filling out an online claim form.
Lottery winnings are considered income in North Carolina and are subject to a 5.25% tax rate.
North Carolina Lottery Frequently Asked Questions
Can North Carolina Lottery Tickets Be Purchased Online?
Yes. The North Carolina Lottery directly sells online and mobile lottery tickets.
Third-party sellers like Jackpocket and Jackpot.com are not approved retailers.
How Many North Carolina Lottery Retailers Are There?
There are more than 7,000 approved lottery retailers in the state of North Carolina.
How Old Do I Have To Be To Play The North Carolina Lottery?
Players must be 18 years of age or older. When sports betting starts, players must be 21 and older.