Jan. 26, 2015. Players trying their luck in Saturday’s Powerball drawing have the chance to win a $230 million annuity or a $157.8 million cash prize.
It is the largest Powerball jackpot since the Sept. 24, 2014 drawing when a player in California won the $228.5 million jackpot. North Carolina has had three Powerball jackpot winners who won between $74.5 million and $141.4 million.
Friday’s Mega Millions jackpot is estimated at a $20 million annuity or $13.4 million cash value. Two North Carolina Mega Millions players have won jackpots ranging from $12 million to $57 million.
Big Winner Report
The biggest win of the week went to Michael Tyndall, a 51-year-old handyman from Whitakers in Nash County, who claimed the top prize in the $1,000 a Week for Life! Game. Tyndall chose the annuity option and will get $52,000 a year for the rest of his life. {Read More}
This week’s $173,578 Cash 5 winner claimed his prize just two weeks before the ticket would expire. Bryan McMasters of Durhamclaimed his share of a $520,734 Cash 5 jackpot on Wednesday and plans to save the money for retirement. {Read More}
Sarah Murray, a retiree from Fuquay-Varina, is the final player to win the $150,000 top prize in the Jumbo Jingle Bucks game. “I was standing there deciding what to buy and the ticket just jumped out at me,” Murray said. “It seemed to be saying ‘Here I am,’ so I had to buy it. I’m glad I did.” {Read More}
From Jan. 16 through Jan. 22, lottery players across the state won more than $19.8 million in prizes. Instant players won more than $15.1 million and draw game players won $4.7 million, including $4.1 million from North Carolina draw games Pick 3, Pick 4, Cash 5 and All or Nothing. Since last weekend’s drawings, Mega Millions and Powerball players won more than $552,000 in prizes.
One Carolina Cash 5 ticket matched all five numbers in Thursday’s drawing and won the $263,868 jackpot. The ticket was sold at Kristy’s Food Mart on North Liberty Street in Winston-Salem.
Six players scratched or matched for wins of $10,000 to $20,000. In alphabetical order by the winner’s hometown, they are:
Hometown Winner Prize Won Game
Asheville Michelle White $10,000 $200 Million Blowout
Charlotte Jose Hernandez $20,000 $1,000,000 Jackpot
Clinton Belinda Robinson $20,000 $4,000,000 Multiplier Spectacular
Elizabethtown Louise Dunford $15,000 Mega Millions / 1-16-15
Hendersonville Francis Schinestuhl $10,000 Powerball / 1-21-15
Mills River Priscilla Duncan $20,000 $1,000,000 Jackpot
Ticket sales have made it possible for the lottery to raise more than $3.5 billion for the state. Net proceeds will be used this year to help pay salaries of teachers and teacher assistants, for pre-kindergarten programs for at-risk four-year-olds, for school construction and repair, and need-based college scholarships and financial aid.
For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in each of North Carolina’s 100 counties, click on the “Where the Money Goes” tab on the lottery’s website.