Checking your ticket after a long Wednesday or Saturday night is basically a ritual for thousands of folks across the Tar Heel state. You’ve got the ticket sitting on the dashboard or maybe tucked into a kitchen drawer, and honestly, the suspense is usually the best part.
The most recent winning Powerball numbers for North Carolina from the Wednesday, January 14, 2026, drawing were 6 - 24 - 39 - 43 - 51 with the red Powerball being 2. The Power Play multiplier for that night was 2x. If you happened to play the Double Play option—that extra buck that gives your numbers a second life—those numbers were 6 - 20 - 28 - 47 - 48 with a Powerball of 3.
Nobody hit the big one this time. That means the jackpot is rolling over again. For the upcoming Saturday, January 17 drawing, the estimated jackpot is sitting at a cool $179 million. If you aren’t into the thirty-year annuity plan and just want the bag upfront, the cash value is roughly $80.8 million.
What happens if you actually win in North Carolina?
Winning a few bucks is easy. You take the ticket back to the gas station, they scan it, the machine makes that happy "winner" noise, and they hand you some cash. But if you're looking at a prize over $600, things get a bit more official.
North Carolina has specific rules about where you go. For anything between $600 and $99,999, you can actually start the claim process online or head to one of the regional offices. There are spots in Asheville, Charlotte, Greensboro, Greenville, Raleigh, and Wilmington. You’ll need a photo ID and your Social Security card. Don't forget those.
If you're lucky enough to hit for $100,000 or more, you’ve gotta make the trip to the NC Lottery Headquarters in Raleigh.
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One thing people kinda forget is the tax man. In North Carolina, lottery winnings are treated as income. The state takes its 4.75% cut, and the feds take 24% right off the top before you even see a dime. It's a lot, but hey, you’re still left with a life-changing amount of money.
Recent North Carolina wins that weren't the jackpot
You don't have to match all six numbers to walk away happy. Just look at LoisMarie Familar from Los Angeles. She grew up in Gatesville and came home for the holidays. She bought a Quick Pick ticket at the Gates Food Mart on U.S. 158 for the December 20 drawing.
She matched four white balls and the red Powerball. Normally, that's a $50,000 win. But she was smart—she spent the extra dollar for the Power Play. The multiplier that night was 3x, so her prize jumped to **$150,000**. She walked away with over $108,000 after taxes just for visiting her hometown.
Then there’s the digital side of things. Melinda Murphy from Rockingham recently hit a $1.4 million jackpot playing a digital instant game called Bison Bonanza on the NC Lottery website. She only bet 50 cents. She said she wasn't even looking at the screen when it happened, just saw "stuff happening" out of her peripheral vision.
How to play without making it complicated
A lot of people think there's a secret strategy. There isn't.
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Every single drawing is a fresh start. The odds of winning the jackpot are always 1 in 292.2 million. It doesn’t matter if the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 were drawn last week; they have the exact same chance of being drawn tonight.
- Quick Pick vs. Manual: About 70% to 80% of winners use Quick Pick, where the computer chooses. This isn't because the computer is "luckier," it’s just because most people are lazy (me included) and let the machine do the work.
- Power Play: For $1 more, you multiply non-jackpot prizes. If you match five white balls, the Power Play always doubles that $1 million prize to $2 million, regardless of the multiplier drawn.
- Double Play: This is a separate drawing with its own $10 million top prize. Your same numbers get run through a second machine. It’s basically a second chance to win on the same night.
The cutoff to buy a ticket in North Carolina is 9:59 p.m. EST on drawing nights. If you miss it by a second, you’re playing for the next one.
Where the money actually goes
A lot of folks complain about the lottery, but it does more than just make a few people rich. Since its inception, the North Carolina Education Lottery has raised billions for education.
The money goes toward things like:
- School construction and repairs in all 100 counties.
- Pre-K programs for at-risk four-year-olds.
- College scholarships and grants based on financial need.
- Salaries for school support staff (the folks who keep the lights on and the buses running).
In 2025 alone, the Powerball runs helped generate over $10 million for these programs. Even if you don't win, your $2 is technically helping build a new wing on a local middle school or helping a kid go to UNC.
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A few things to keep in mind
If you win, sign the back of your ticket immediately. A lottery ticket is a "bearer instrument." That’s a fancy way of saying whoever holds it, owns it. If you drop a winning ticket on the floor of a Harris Teeter and you haven't signed it, the person who picks it up can legally claim that money.
Also, North Carolina isn't a "blind" state. Your name, city, and the amount you won are public record. You can't really stay anonymous unless you have a protective order. Most big winners hire a lawyer and a financial advisor before they even step foot in Raleigh.
Check your tickets against the official NC Lottery app or website. Third-party sites are usually fine, but the official source is the only one that matters when you're trying to collect.
Actionable Next Steps
If you’re holding a ticket from the January 14 drawing, pull it out right now. Compare your numbers to 6 - 24 - 39 - 43 - 51 and the Powerball 2. If you have a match of any kind, even just the Powerball alone, you've won at least $4.
For the next $179 million drawing on Saturday, make sure you buy your ticket before the 9:59 p.m. cutoff. If you prefer playing from your couch, set up an "Online Play" account on the NC Lottery website so you don't have to worry about losing a physical piece of paper.