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A big expansion of North Carolina gambling could be on the horizon this year. In the meantime, though, the North Carolina Lottery is doing what it can to make more options available to people in the state who want to play online.
The Lottery has added two popular draw-style games to the list of titles players can purchase tickets for online. The additions could help the Lottery build on the success of its already-skyrocketing online sales.
North Carolina Lottery lets you pick online
North Carolinians are likely watching to see if this will be the year that their state legalizes online sports betting. Currently, the only way to legally bet on sports in the state is to visit one of three tribal casinos inside North Carolina’s borders. While the legislature considers that change, there is other news about online gambling.
According to a March 27 press release from the Lottery’s technology partner, NeoPollard Interactive, the two games are Pick 3 and Pick 4. Those games join Carolina Cash 5 as the state’s proprietary games available online.
In North Carolina, players can also purchase draws for three multi-state titles. Those are Lucky for Life, Mega Millions, and Powerball. Currently, draw-style games are the only type available via the Lottery’s app or website.
According to NeoPollard Interactive, players can buy up to 14 draws for either Pick 3 or Pick 4 at one time. Other features of the online sales include:
- Checking plays to see if they won
- Letting the system pick numbers for you
- Pre-selecting numbers for physical tickets at lottery retailers
- Saving favorite numbers to play repetitively
For both Pick 3 and Pick 4, ticket prices range from $0.50 to $1. There are five different ways to play the numbers on each draw, too. Just like with physical tickets, online players have the option to add the Fireball feature. The Fireball doubles the price of each draw but also increases the number of potentially winning plays.
The inclusion of these games in the Lottery’s online platform means most of its most popular titles are available to players anywhere in the state.
Pick 3 and Pick 4 represent majority of draw-game sales
NeoPollard Interactive data show that combined, Pick 3 and Pick 4 accounted for more than 60% of sales of draw-style plays at North Carolina Lottery retailers during their fiscal year 2022. The share those games represent could expand now.
That could mean even greater success for the online platform overall, too. Online sales in FY2022 were up 224% compared to the same figures in FY2020, NeoPollard Interactive says.
While the odds for the games are the same regardless of whether you buy your tickets in-person or online, these additions make it a bit more convenient to pick some winners.
