Powerball player misses jackpot — but still scores big NC win. Where was ticket sold?
A Powerball player just missed a $279 million jackpot — but still scored a prize worth celebrating in North Carolina.
The player bought a ticket that matched all but one number picked in the March 3 drawing. Since the player spent an extra dollar on the Power Play option, their $50,000 prize doubled to $100,000, results show.
The winning numbers: white balls 18-20-50-52-56, with red Powerball 20.
The lucky ticket was sold at a convenience store near the coast. The winner spent $3 on it at the Travel Store in Blounts Creek, a roughly 125-mile drive southeast from Raleigh, the N.C. Education Lottery told McClatchy News via email.
The winner’s ticket matched four of the white balls and the red ball to get richer. Their ticket also was one number from hitting the jackpot, an estimated $279 million the night of the drawing, according to the Powerball website.
Lottery officials shared news of the $100,000 win early March 4, before the lucky ticket holder could have come forward. In North Carolina, Powerball winners have about six months to cash in on their prizes, rules show.
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.
This story was originally published March 4, 2025 at 10:07 AM with the headline "Powerball player misses jackpot — but still scores big NC win. Where was ticket sold?."
