Powerball player narrowly misses $20M prize — but still has a lot to celebrate in NC
A Powerball player narrowly missed a $20 million prize — but still has a lot to celebrate in North Carolina.
The player bought a ticket that matched all but one number picked in the Dec. 9 drawing, making it worth $50,000, results show.
The winning numbers: white balls 35-37-40-45-51, with red Powerball 24.
The winner is set to get richer after their ticket matched four of the white balls and the red ball. The person spent $2 to try their luck on an online ticket in High Point, the N.C. Education Lottery wrote on its website and in an email to McClatchy News.
Though the player scored a huge windfall, they just missed out on a larger prize. Their ticket was one number from hitting the jackpot, which stood at an estimated $20 million the night of the drawing, according to the Powerball website.
As of about 9:30 a.m. Dec. 10, the $50,000 winner hadn’t cashed in. Lucky ticket holders have roughly six months to claim their Powerball prizes, according to North Carolina lottery rules.
What to know about Powerball
To score the jackpot in the Powerball, a player must match all five white balls and the red Powerball.
The odds of scoring the jackpot prize are 1 in 292,201,338.
Tickets can be bought on the day of the drawing, but sales times and price vary by state.
Drawings are broadcast Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:59 p.m. ET and can be streamed online.
Powerball is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
