Saturday’s $856 million Powerball jackpot reaches No. 8 in game’s history

Lottery players in North Carolina can play for a historic prize this weekend as the $856 million Powerball jackpot ranks as the eighth largest in the game’s history.

A winner in Saturday’s drawing would have the choice of taking home the $856 million jackpot as an annuity or $370.7 million in cash.

As the jackpot continues to grow, North Carolinians are taking home other nice prizes playing Powerball. Wednesday’s drawing saw two big wins in the state:

• A lucky $3 ticket matched four white balls and the Powerball to win a $50,000 prize. The prize doubled to $100,000 when the 2X multiplier came up. The winning ticket came from Online Play in New Bern.
• A lucky $2 ticket matched four white balls and the Powerball to win a $50,000 prize. The winning ticket came from the Food Lion on Market Street in Wilmington.

The odds of winning a Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292 million.

Players can buy Powerball tickets at any lottery retail location or through Online Play on the lottery’s website, www.laosamayor.com, or with the NC Lottery Official Mobile App.

For details on how lottery funds make a difference in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website.