Since the North Carolina Education Lottery started selling tickets on March 26, 2006, players have cashed in on more than $18 billion in prizes and education has benefited from $8 billion for employees, building and repairs in all 100 counties, college scholarships, pre-kindergarten programs and transportation. A school construction program established four years ago helped create new schools in 30 counties at $10-$15 million each.
According to a statement, the lottery raises an average of $2 million a day for education. Lottery Executive Director Mark Michalko said, “Every ticket that is purchased provides money for education. “About 95 cents of every dollar spent on a lottery ticket cycles back into the state’s economy as either a prize, earnings for education or a sales commission to a retailer.”
The lottery began with 5,000 retailers in 2006 and today has more than 7,000 statewide. The stores that lead the state in sales are Carlton’s Tanglewood in Clemmons, followed by Rose Mart #14 in Wilson and Eagles Express in Knightdale.
Also in 2006, the lottery recorded $885.6 million in annual sales. This year, it took in more than $3 billion in annual revenue. The lottery has sold a total of 762 different scratch-off games in the past 15 years.
Also in the past 15 years, seven Powerball and Mega Millions jackpot winners claimed prizes ranging from $12 million to $344.6 million. In 2019, Charles Jackson won the largest prize in North Carolina Lottery history—a $344.6 million Powerball jackpot. “You play to win, but you never really expect to win the whole dang pot,” Jackson said.
“We’re proud to play our part in supporting our students and schools and will work to continue this success for the next 15 years,” Michalko stated.
