Event Calendar

"Lotto Plus" tickets on sale; Lotto 5 gets a new name and another way to win

"Lotto Plus" is the newest game from the Tennessee Lottery, bringing the state its own lotto game with jackpots starting at $1 million. The drawing-style game launches Sunday, March 9, with the first drawing set to be held on Tuesday, March 11.

"Tennessee players have been asking for their own lotto game, and we're excited to introduce Lotto Plus as another way to create fun and excitement for them," said Rebecca Hargrove, President and CEO of the Tennessee Lottery. "By introducing new ways to play and win, we can continue the momentum that has raised more than $1 billion for the education programs we fund."

In addition to the introduction of Lotto Plus, the Lottery has renamed Lotto 5 and added another prize level. Lotto 5, now "Pick 5," will allow players to win by matching 2 of 5 numbers in addition to the current prizes for matching 3, 4 and 5 numbers.

How to play Lotto Plus

Playing Lotto Plus is simple: Players select any six numbers from 1 to 44, or choose Quick Pick to let a computer randomly pick any or all of the numbers. Each play is $1. If 3, 4, 5, or 6 of those numbers are drawn in any order, the player wins. If no ticket matches all six numbers drawn, the jackpot increases a minimum of $100,000 for the next drawing. As with Powerball and Pick 5, if more than one ticket matches all of the numbers drawn, the jackpot will be split among the ticket holders.

Lotto Plus also has a Plus Feature, which will multiply any non-jackpot winnings by 2 to 5 times for an extra dollar per play. Drawings are held every Tuesday and Friday at 10 p.m. CT/11 p.m. ET, then broadcast on Lottery partner stations.

Lotto Plus joins the Tennessee Lottery's other drawing-style games including Powerball, Cash 3, Cash 4, Pick 5 (formerly Lotto 5) and Hot Trax Champions.

North Carolina lottery players will now have double the chances to play and double the chances to win on "Carolina Pick 3."  On March 31, 2008, North Carolina Education Lottery (NCEL) players will have a new opportunity to play their favorite numbers on "Carolina Pick 3" with the addition of a new daytime drawing.

"The NCEL first launched Carolina Pick 3 in October, 2006 and the game has been growing in popularity ever since," said Tom Shaheen, NCEL executive director. "Players have been asking us to add another drawing so we expect it to be good for sales."

He added, "Increased sales should mean more money for education and that is our ultimate goal."

"Carolina Pick 3" is a 3-digit numbers game where the player chooses a 3-digit number between 000 and 999. The top prize is $500 for all players who match all three numbers in exact order drawn. There are other prize levels depending on the amount played and type of play.

The new daytime drawings will begin March 31 and will occur at 3:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The drawings will not be televised, but players will be able to get the results shortly after the drawing.

Here are the ways players can get the daytime drawing results:

• Lottery Post — All North Carolina lottery results, including the new Midday Pick 3 numbers, are available right after the drawing at www.lotterypost.com/results/nc.  All player predictions posted on the North Carolina Predictions page are updated immediately after the results are published at Lottery Post.
• Webcast — Players can view the drawings on a webcast on nc-educationlottery.org,
  WRAL.com, WITNTV.com, WCNC.com, and WILM-TV.com.
• Television posting — The above mentioned television stations will show the daytime
  numbers on the air starting at approximately 3:30 p.m. depending on their program
  schedules.
• Player Hotline — Players can get the drawing results by calling the NCEL toll free player
  hotline at 877-962-7529 or they can visit their local NCEL retailer.

The evening drawings will continue to be televised live at 11:22 p.m. Monday through Sunday on WRAL-TV in Raleigh, WITN-TV in Greenville, WCNC -TV in Charlotte, WILM-TV in Wilmington and WYCW in Western North Carolina.