North Carolina (NC) Lottery Results
(Unlock the Winning Edge: Your Guide to the NC Lottery)
North Carolina Education Lottery Results & Winning Numbers
Check the latest winning numbers to see if you’re a winner in last nights’ NC Lottery drawings!
Fri, Sep 29, 2023
Sat, Sep 30, 2023
Sat, Sep 30, 2023
Best North Carolina Lottery Game for Any Budget
When playing the North Carolina Education Lottery, it’s important to keep in mind that the odds of winning vary by game. Before you purchase a ticket, be sure to compare the overall odds and individual prize odds for your games. For a full list of prize odds, you can click on any game in the table below.
GAME | BASE TICKET PRICE | OVERALL ODDS |
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NC Powerball | $2 | 1 in 24.9 |
NC Mega Millions | $2 | 1 in 24.0 |
NC Pick 3 (Day & Night) | $0.50 or $1.00 | 1 in 1,000 (Exact) |
NC Pick 4 (Day & Night) | $0.50 or $1.00 | 1 in 10,000 (Exact) |
Carolina Cash 5 | $1 | 1 in 10.51 |
Lucky for Life | $2 | 1 in 7.8 |
Scratch Offs | $1 - $30 |
What Time is the Next NC Education Lottery Live Drawing?
Stay up-to-date on all the lottery draws offered by the North Carolina Education Lottery with our convenient calendar. It includes the drawing times and sales cut-off times (in brackets) for each game, so you’ll never miss a chance to play again.
GAME | FREQUENCY | DRAW TIME - ET (SALES END) |
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Powerball | Mon / Wed / Sat | 10:59 pm (9:59 pm) |
Carolina Cash 5 | Daily | 11:22 pm (10:59 pm) |
Mega Millions | Tues / Fri | 11:00 pm (10:45 pm) |
Lucky for Life | Daily | 10:30 pm (9:30 pm) |
Carolina Pick 4 Day | Daily | 3:00 pm (3:00 pm) |
Carolina Pick 4 Evening | Daily | 11:22 pm (11:00 pm) |
Carolina Pick 3 Day | Daily | 3:00 pm (3:00 pm) |
Carolina Pick 3 Evening | Daily | 11:22 pm (11:00 pm) |
What are the 2nd Chance Drawings & Lucke Rewards?
Second Chance
Even if you didn’t win the first time, don’t give up. The NC Lottery offers players a second chance to win cash with seasonal programs such as Holiday Spectacular. To play, you must be an NC Education Lottery member. Sign in and enter a qualifying ticket in a second chance drawing during the promotional period.
Lucke-Rewards
The Lucke-Rewards program provides more chances to play and win. By using the Lucke-Reward code or barcode on your tickets, you can enter them into your account to earn points. Earn even more points by completing a variety of activities, such as referring a friend or playing a game or answering a survey. The more you engage with the NC Education Lottery, the more chances you have to earn points and get automatic entries for prizes in Second Chance drawings.
Need a NC Lottery Account? Download the latest NCEL App and create an account.
What are the Best North Carolina Lottery Scratch Offs?
At Lotto Edge, scratch offs are kind of our thing. Daily we analyze actual NC Lottery scratch data for every prize in every game! You heard that right.
We run thousands of calculations on the data and then provide our members simple rankings of the best games to play.
We provide multiple rankings so no matter how you like to play or what prizes you are after, we have a ranking tailer made for you.
Below is just a sample of the rankings and game details we cover.
Want some tips on playing the North Carolina Lottery?
We’ve pulled together some tips to help you play the NC Lottery.
Got any additional tips? Let us know.
TIP #1: FIRST TUESDAY
Set your calendars! New NCEL scratch offs are released the 1st Tuesday of every month.
TIP #2: SCRATCH OFF ODDS
Scratch off ticket odds almost always beat draw games BUT the odds change daily. Check back frequently to keep up with the latest odds changes!
TIP #3: TICKET GIVEAWAYS
If you’ve got Facebook, don’t miss out on extra giveaways. Follow the North Carolina Education Lottery's Facebook page for free ticket giveaways!
TIP #4: 2ND CHANCE DRAWINGS & LUCKE REWARDS
When playing a game with a Second Chance Drawing, always make sure to enter your ticket. Its a free bonus chance to win. Same goes for entering your Lucke Rewards points!
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Commonly Asked Question by NC Lottery Players
At Lotto Edge, we talk with lottery players on a daily basis and are always researching common questions asked around the web. We compiled a list of frequently asked questions that NC Lottery players are asking.
If you have a question that we haven’t covered, we will try to answer it for you. Drop us a line, we’re happy to help.
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When does the North Carolina Lottery post draw results? The North Carolina Lottery posts winning results immediately after each drawing. Our lottery results, while unofficial, are posted soon after each drawing as well.
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Can I play the lottery online? Yes. You’ll be happy to know that you can buy tickets for your favorite draw games online. The NCEL doesn’t offer any instant games online (yet).
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Can I use a debit or credit card to buy tickets? You can buy NCEL tickets with debit cards or cash and some retailers will also accept gift cards or checks. Credit cards are not approved for NC Lotto purchases. NCEL Online accepts debit, PayPal, and ACH.
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How long do I have to collect a prize? Scratch Off prizes can be collected up to 90 days after the published end of the game. Draw game prizes can be collected up to 180 after the drawing that the ticket was purchased for.
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How old do I have to be to play the lottery in the state of NC? If you’re 18 or older, you can play!
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Where can I buy tickets? There are over 6800 retailers selling NCEL tickets across North Carolina. Look for the PLAY HERE signs or check which retailers are near you. You can also buy your favorite draw games online with your NCEL account.
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How can I claim a winning ticket? Prize claims under $600 can be claimed at a lottery retailer, regional claim center, NCEL Headquarters or by mail.Prizes of $600 to $99,999 can be claimed at a regional claim center, NCEL Headquarters or by mail.Prizes of $100,000 and up can only be claimed at NCLottery Headquarters.For an updated list of Regional Claim Center locations and hours plus claim forms, visit the NCLottery Claims Page.
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Can winners remain anonymous? Unfortunately in the State of North Carolina, winners currently cannot remain anonymous.
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Does the NCEL have an App? Yes. The NC lottery app includes ticket scanner, including scratch off scanner and the ability to enter 2nd chance drawings.
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What are the 3 digit codes on scratch off tickets? These 3 digit codes are also known as validation codes. The 3 digit codes were used by retailers for sight validations prior to computers doing the validation. You can read more about the secret NC Lottery Codes on our blog.
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Where can I see a list of North Carolina Lottery winners? The North Carolina lottery posts recent winners in all games including scratch off winners and draw games. You can find the latest list of winners at the NC Lottery Winners Page.
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What other lottery games does NC offer? The NC Lottery also offers keno and fast play games. Keep up with the latest keno results on the official NC Lottery Keno Page.
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Where can I find Lottery Predictions? Anyone or any website offering to sell you drawing game predictions should be viewed with skepticism. Drawing games are random ball drawings where the previous draws have no impact on future drawings.
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How Can I watch the Live Drawings? Live drawings take place in Raleigh and are aired on WRAL.
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Where can I find past lottery drawing results? NC Lottery numbers from past drawing are available from nclottery.com. Click on the game you are interested (e.g. Powerball), then click the tab “Past Draws”.
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Are there any NCLottery strategies that can help me? Check out our best NC Lottery scratch off rankings and find a ranking that fits your playing style. All our rankings provide you a daily updated list of the best scratch off games to play.
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Can I buy NC tickets online with the Lotter? No. The Lotter is a 3rd party ticket broker licensed to sell online drawing game tickets in certain states. Residents of CO, TX, OR and MN can purchase tickets online and participate in international lotteries. It is not currently available to buy NC tickets.
Playing North Carolina Lottery Online / Online Gambling
While the North Carolina Education Lottery currently allows for the purchase of lottery tickets at physical retailers and online (draw games only), many other states have expanded their gambling options to include additional services.
Below is a list of online gambling options that are legal in the State of North Carolina.
Games | Available NC Lottery | Licensed 3rd Parties |
---|---|---|
Scratch Offs | No | No |
Draw Games | YES | No |
Sportsbook | No | No |
Casino | No | No |
Poker | No | No |
Bingo | No | No |
Daily Fantasy | No | YES |
About North Carolina Lottery
The North Carolina Education Lottery was created by the North Carolina State Lottery Act in 2005, making it one of the nation’s youngest lottery systems.
In 2022, the NC Lottery Commission reported $3.88 billion in ticket sales with more than $900 million for education. The lottery raises on average about $2.5 million a day for education programs.
Since its inception, the lottery’s total contribution has exceeded $9.2 billion.
All of the net proceeds of the NC Education Lottery go to benefit the state’s education system.
About 40% of the money raised by the lottery – $386 million – pays salaries for teachers, principals and custodians among other education employees. The rest pays for school construction, college financial aid and other education expenses.
Conclusion
Did we miss anything or have anything we need to update? Drop us a note and tell us what you think.
If you found this helpful, make sure to check out our expert NC scratch off rankings. They’re sure to help you find scratch offs with the best odds of winning, no matter the prizes you are chasing.
Sources:
Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links where our partners may compensate us for certain referrals at no cost to you.
Author:
Researched and Written By: Jared James, Founder