North Carolina

$1 million Powerball winner in North Carolina as holidays near. Where was ticket sold?

A lottery ticket sold in North Carolina is worth $1 million.
A lottery ticket sold in North Carolina is worth $1 million. N.C. Education Lottery

A $1 million Powerball ticket was sold in North Carolina as the holidays near.

The lucky ticket holder could end the year much richer after matching five of the six numbers drawn on Monday, Dec. 18, the N.C. Education Lottery wrote in a news release.

The lottery player had a stroke of luck during a trip to Ingles Markets in Cashiers. While at the mountain town grocery store, officials said the person spent $2 on the winning Powerball ticket.

The ticket and another bought in New York both beat 1-in-11.6 million odds to match all five white balls picked in the recent drawing. The winning numbers were white balls 5-8-19-34-39, with Powerball number 26.

Though the North Carolina winner scored a big windfall, the person was one number from a larger jackpot win. The night of the drawing, the jackpot stood at an estimated $544 million, according to the Powerball website.

As of early Dec. 19, no one had come forward yet to claim the $1 million prize, state lottery officials told McClatchy News in an email. But the winner still has time, given the deadline to cash in is six months away.

Cashiers is roughly 60 miles southwest of the popular mountain destination of Asheville.

The Cashiers ticket won big in the same drawing that scored another North Carolina lottery player $50,000. That ticket was sold at a Stop & Go convenience store in Charlotte, officials said.

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When gambling is more than a game

Gambling is designed to be a source of entertainment.

If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.

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This story was originally published December 19, 2023 at 12:25 PM with the headline "$1 million Powerball winner in North Carolina as holidays near. Where was ticket sold?."

Simone Jasper
The News & Observer
Simone Jasper is a service journalism reporter at The News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina.
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