By Todd Northrop
RALEIGH, N.C. — Triple digits paid off in a big way for North Carolina Pick 3 players in the Monday, Sept. 6 evening drawing.
The 2-2-2 combination resulted in a record-setting prize payout of $2.88 million to more than 11,000 winning tickets.
This record payout is the highest since the Dec. 25, 2009 drawing, which paid out more than $2.28 million to players who chose the 5-5-5 combination.
Monday's drawing was the first time the 2-2-2 combination has been drawn since Pick 3 sales began. Now that 2-2-2 has been drawn, every possibly triple digit combination has occurred.
Carolina Pick 3, which launched in October 2006, is among the most popular games the NCEL offers. It is one of the three online games offered that are available to play only in North Carolina, unlike Powerball and Mega Millions, which are multi-state games. The other online games specific to the NCEL are Carolina Pick 4 and Carolina Cash 5.
Other recent N.C. winners
Carolina Cash 5 paid off nicely for two players over the Labor Day holiday. Someone purchased a Carolina Cash 5 ticket in Raleigh that matched all five white balls in the Sept. 4 drawing and is worth $188,192.
The ticket was purchased at Kroger on Falls of Neuse Road in Raleigh.
Also, a ticket sold in Moyock, in Currituck County, matched all five white balls in the Sept. 6 drawing and is worth $53,000. The ticket was purchased at The Border Station on Caratoke Highway in Moyock.
In the Powerball drawing held on Saturday, Sept. 4, a total of 26,662 players won prizes ranging from $3 to $10,000 for a total payout in prizes of $177,568. Because no ticket matched all six balls in the drawing, the jackpot for the Wednesday, Sept. 8 drawing is $62 million if taken as an annuity or $33.8 million as a lump-sum payment.
A total of 10,138 North Carolina players won prizes in the Friday, Sept. 3 Mega Millions drawing, ranging from $2 to $40,000 for a total payout in prizes of $118,529. One Megaplier ticket matched four white balls and the Mega Ball and, due to the multiplier being four, is worth $40,000. The ticket was sold at J. S. Krish on North Wilson Street in Fremont in Wayne County. The jackpot for the Tuesday, Sept. 7 drawing is an estimated $25 million if taken as an annuity or $16.9 million if the lump-sum payment is chosen.
The North Carolina Education Lottery has paid out more than $6.2 million in instant scratch-off ticket prizes since Thursday, Sept. 2. Carolina Pick 3 players have won more than $4.4 million. Carolina Pick 4 players have won more than $339,000 including 21 tickets that won the top prize of $5,000. Carolina Cash 5 players have won more than $382,000.
- $53,000 - Carolina Cash 5 (Sept. 6 drawing): [winner unknown], sold at The Border Station, 101 Caratoke Hwy., Moyock
- $188,192 - Carolina Cash 5 (Sept. 4 drawing): [winner unknown], sold at Kroger #303, 7905 Falls of Neuse Rd., Raleigh
- $10,000 - Powerball (Sept. 4 drawing): [winner unknown], sold at Wilco 1827, 1545 N.C. 56, Creedmoor
- $10,000 - Powerball (Sept. 4 drawing): [winner unknown], sold at Blue Ridge Mini Mart, 3132 U.S. 70 W., Black Mountain
- $40,000 - Mega Millions (Sept. 3 drawing): [winner unknown], sold at J. S. Krish, LLC, 501 N. Wilson St., Fremont
- $30,000 - Powerball (Sept. 1 drawing): Renee Gulledge of Salisbury, sold at Rushco Food Stores #5, 601 Jake Alexander Blvd., Salisbury
- $10,000 - Powerball (Sept. 1 drawing): Teresa Parham of Norlina, sold at Oine Road Best Bet BP, 927 Oine Rd., Norlina
- $10,000 - Powerball (Aug. 21 drawing): Donald Arnold of Jacksonville, sold at Handee Hugo #33, 467 Western Blvd., Jacksonville
- $10,000 - Cash Spectacular instant scratch-off game: Donald Alligood of Washington
- $6,000 - Quick 6's instant scratch-off game: Gwendolyn Hansley of Currie
- $5,000 - $200 Million Extravaganza instant scratch-off game: Billy Bingham of Gastonia
- $5,000 - Cash Spectacular instant scratch-off game: Robert Camp of Kings Mountain
- $5,000 - Cash Spectacular instant scratch-off game: Marisa Cauthen of Kannapolis
- $5,000 - $200 Million Extravaganza instant scratch-off game: Patricia Church of Trinity
- $5,000 - $200 Million Extravaganza instant scratch-off game: Toby Eason of Vanceboro
- $5,000 - $200 Million Extravaganza instant scratch-off game: Donna Plemmons of Marble
- $5,000 - $200,000 Cash instant scratch-off game: James Short of Rockingham
BIG CONGRATZ to all the NC PLAYERS!!!
Cutla$$Bob
In California, those of us that are "in the know" never play trips. Since this is a pari-mutuel state, the payout for trips is VERY low. The last triple here (888) paid $253 to a total of 358 players!! Maybe NC will change to pari-mutuel and save tons of money. I don't like the pari-mutuel because you never know how much will be paid.
Followed by triple 3's. wow
it's about time for them to give back some of the money
Kentucky will payout $1,375,000 because 777 hit this afternoon and after paying out $1,500,000 when 444 hit on Saturday.
Last triple drawn - 6/26/10 - Midday - 999 - 143.50
I didn't know that about NJ. Yes, it really is a bummer.
Ohio is not a pari-mutuel state, it limits the amount of money that can be wagered on a pick3 combination to limit its liability. Payouts seldom go above a half million dollars but I think it can go as high as a million dollars when the limit is reached.
Sounds exciting ....... congrats to all NC Lottery Winners !
So far my "record" is $100 in the Powerball several years ago ......... but looking for a record payout for the town where I live !
The Ohio Lottery recently paid out almost $1.8 million when 000 was drawn. The limit was $3 million and was paid out a few times.
"Maybe NC will change to pari-mutuel and save tons of money."
It all evens out in the end. The big payout when triples hit means that lots of people are playing triples all of the times that other numbers come up, too. Any game with odds of 1 in 1000 that pays 500 to 1 for a win will keep 50% of the money in the long run. Similarly, parimutuel prizes also average out over time. The last 5+0 MM winner in CA got 508 k instead of the 250k for winners in other states. 2 drawings before that two winners each got 667k.
I don't follow the pick3 game that close but I was aware of the wager limit because it has been reached several times on special dates like 911 and others but I never knew one of those numbers had actually hit. Maybe N.C. has a wager limit too and wasn't surprised to be paying out $2.88M.
You're comparing apples and oranges! I was talking about pick 3 triples.
I hope all you NC players got a part of that!
Honestly I am kind of baffled...2.8 million???
NC is not a bigger state than TN, yet it neighbors TN and has only been playing the lottery a few years.
Yet a big payout for TN is $250,000 - 350,000 on a triple.
Why is it so much higher for NC I wonder?
What am I missing here?
Again, congrats to all the NC players!
Tennessee is the stagnant backwater swamp of state lotteries. They've been caught cheating in flagrante delicto (in the act) before and nobody has really had much trust in them since then. Their approach to the lottery itself is dull, boring and lifeless. Their Pick 5 game is on life-support until October when they will remove the feeding tubes and let it die.
Too many people claim that it's far harder to win anything here than in neighboring states. Many claim there are too many repeats in the daily games to be legitimate. There just isn't any trust or faith in the system anymore.
They already killed the Pick 6 game and now the Pick 5 is going. And what are the locals talking about? Where's the jackpot money going to go when the game ends with no winner? No, not where they say it's going but where is it really going? That's what cheating has done to the trust and faith of the people in the TN Lottery.
They need to clean house in the TN Lottery. Get rid of the crowd that's presiding over its demise and bring in people with fresh ideas.
This country is having a major mood swing.
It's getting real tired of crooks and liars and cheats.
Yes rd, thay is why I love digits so much they never lie, when you put them together; and ask how much is the cost they add up perfectly and what ever they is? That's the amount!!! They remain the same a 4 is always a 4, and a 7 is always a seven No cheeting, no crooking, (crooking? I think I just made up a word)
And rd, Triples are here to stay!! Everyone will see more triples! They are good Business for the State and those are some smart people, it is foolish to kill the gooze that lays the golden eggs!! TN better wake up!! before their gooze gets cooked!!
it is too bad about the pick 5 game. i think my jaw hit the floor when i saw the announcement it is going away. it is pretty much the only game i win on, and now it is out of here (almost)
I am hoping they bring back something good in its place. i can understand why they got rid of pick 6 (replaced by Mega Millions) but its so weird to me they would get pick 5 out of here. maybe its because too many people were winning on it -- i am sure they dont like that.
I agree Rosie, don't kill the gooze!
Everybody likes a gooze once in a while.
I heard tiggs hasn't had a gooze in 20 years or so.
I haven't checked the numbers but I would venture to say that it's more likely that too many people don't play rather than too many people winning that is causing Pick 5's demise. The reason that nobody plays is because of the computers that pick the numbers and Tennessee has been caught cheating with computers before. Ms Hargrove's mind is made up though and she doesn't want to be confused by the facts. She's committed to computers even if the whole Tennessee Lottery collapses because of it. The game being pari-mutuel and only played 3 days a week and having low, low starting jackpots added to its burden to compete with neighboring states.
She wouldn't change a thing about it though. She doesn't change horses in the middle of the stream or anywhere else for that matter. Just keep riding the same one til it drops dead and leaves you stranded. She's been beating this particular dead horse way too long though.
This will increase the cash windfall a little more for states with lotteries that surround Tennessee. They laugh at TN's Lottery all the way to the bank.
If TN Pick 5 is the game you win on I'm sure there's a few members that would like to know your secret before October 1st.
903
Yeah as long as she can skim off the top, what does she care if anyone wins or loses or if the game is fair?
As for my secret, well, I wish I knew it too lol.
Of course you have to realize I use the term 'win' loosely. I consider it a win if I get my $1 investment back. About 3 or 4 times I managed to get 3 numbers matched for a whopping $6 return but that was the highest.
I do play birthdays of various friends/family which used to hit but hasnt recently. Otherwise its just luck.
And btw, the Pick 5 game in TN is going to be replaced by "tennessee cashball" or the like (5 numbers and a 6th separate number). Hopefully they release the details soon.