Nine stories of triumph from North Carolina’s lottery winners.
The articles all tell stories of North Carolina residents who win large lottery prizes and describe how those moments unfolded. Each winner used a different type of game, such as scratch-off tickets, digital games, or Powerball drawings. Most winners express disbelief or surprise and often make plans to use the money for savings, bills, or gifts to others.
One man revealed a series of zeroes on his scratch-off game, watched his prize grow, and decided to save most of his winnings. Another winner chose a ticket he did not intend to buy and found out he had claimed a $200,000 jackpot. A Powerball player kept checking his ticket after realizing he matched all but one number, which earned him a much smaller but still significant sum. A new father purchased a 'Holiday Cash' ticket and then won a top prize just after his child was born.
Other stories include a veteran who grabbed a ticket during a grocery run for his wife and returned home to discover a multimillion-dollar win. There is also an example of someone who could not sleep and won a jackpot playing an online game at night, deciding afterward to use some money to support neighbors after a local disaster. These stories all began with a simple ticket and ended with life-changing amounts of money for the winners.
NO. 1: LOTTERY PLAYER ‘SAW ONE ZERO THEN ANOTHER ZERO THEN ANOTHER’ ON NC SCRATCH-OFF TICKET
The Burke County man won one of six top prizes in the game, lottery officials said. | Published October 14, 2024 | Read Full Story by Olivia Lloyd
NO. 2: WALMART GROCERY RUN FOR WIFE NETS NC VETERAN A LOTTERY JACKPOT. “COULD NOT BELIEVE IT’
The man’s wife said, “You need to come in here,” after she scratched off the ticket when he returned home, according to the lottery. | Published November 27, 2024 | Read Full Story by Joe Marusak
NO. 3: NEW DAD WINS TOP NC LOTTERY GAME PRIZE AFTER SPOTTING A TICKET TOUTING ‘HOLIDAY CASH’
“This comes at a really good time for me,” NC man says. “We just had a kid.” | Published December 28, 2024 | Read Full Story by Joe Marusak
NO. 4: MAN WINS JACKPOT CASH WITH NC LOTTERY TICKET HE DIDN’T REALLY WANT TO BUY
“They were actually sold out of my first choice.” | Published January 24, 2025 | Read Full Story by Mark Price
NO. 5: POWERBALL PLAYER SCORES BIG WIN IN NORTH CAROLINA. WHERE WAS THE LUCKY TICKET SOLD?
Here’s what to know about the win. | Published January 27, 2025 | Read Full Story by Simone Jasper
NO. 6: LOTTERY PLAYER’S INABILITY TO SLEEP LEADS TO LIFE-CHANGING JACKPOT IN NORTH CAROLINA
Online lottery games aren’t a good cure for insomnia. | Published March 14, 2025 | Read Full Story by Mark Price
NO. 7: POWERBALL PLAYER KEPT CHECKING TICKET AFTER BIG NC WIN. ‘IT WASN’T REGISTERING’
“Of course, you always hope you are the one to win.” | Published May 21, 2025 | Read Full Story by Simone Jasper
NO. 8: MAN CREDITS STORE CLERK FOR BIG LOTTERY WIN IN NC. ‘YOU’VE JUST CHANGED MY LIFE’
The lottery player almost gave up on purchasing a ticket after the card reader wasn’t working, lottery officials said. | Published May 28, 2025 | Read Full Story by Natalie Demaree
NO. 9: $1 LOTTERY TICKET TURNS INTO HUGE JACKPOT WIN FOR NC MAN. ‘I TOLD EVERYBODY’
“I’m still in shock.” | Published July 23, 2025 | Read Full Story by Simone Jasper
The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.