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Two Powerball tickets sold in Charlotte area won prizes. One is worth $2 million

A Powerball ticket sold in Gastonia is worth $2 million, and another sold in Charlotte won $500,000 in Saturday’s drawing, according to the North Carolina Education Lottery.

No one hit the overall jackpot, which stands at $1.1 billion, or $503.4 million in cash. That’s the sixth-largest jackpot in Powerball history and the odds of winning it are 1 in 292 million, lottery officials say.

The $2 million prize was won with a $3 Power Play ticket sold at the Food Lion on South New Hope Road in Gastonia, lottery officials said in a Dec. 14 news release.

“The ticket matched the numbers on all five white balls. ... The odds of matching numbers on all five white balls are 1 in 11.6 million,” officials said.

“The $2 million prize was one of the two biggest prizes won nationally in Saturday’s drawing. The other $2 million win occurred in Pennsylvania.”

North Carolina had two other Powerball wins Saturday, officials said.

  • A $3 Powerball Double Play ticket purchased by Laura Pugerude of Charlotte matched all five white balls to win $500,000. The prize came to $358,751 after tax withholdings. The ticket was sold at Charlotte’s Landing, a gift and snack shop at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. It’s the second time since 2021 a lottery ticket sold at the shop has won a prize. The other was a Cash 5 ticket worth $279,915.
  • A $2 ticket purchased at the Food Lion on Andrews Road in Fayetteville won $50,000. It matched the numbers on four white balls and the red Powerball.

Winners have 180 days from the drawing to claim the prize.

The next Powerball drawing is at 10:59 p.m., Monday, Dec. 15.

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This story was originally published December 14, 2025 at 11:36 AM.

MP
Mark Price
The Charlotte Observer
Mark Price is a state reporter for The Charlotte Observer and McClatchy News outlets in North Carolina. He joined the network of newspapers in 1991 at The Charlotte Observer, covering beats including schools, crime, immigration, LGBTQ issues, homelessness and nonprofits. He graduated from the University of Memphis with majors in journalism and art history, and a minor in geology. 
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