5,420 picked same 3 numbers in the same NC lottery game and all of them won

If you are among the many who never won a penny in the North Carolina Education Lottery, here’s a tip: Pick 0-0-0.

That’s the number 5,420 people chose in the Carolina Pick 3, and every one of them won a prize in the drawing held Saturday, April 26, according to an April 27 news release.

Granted, none of them got rich, but the collective payout was more than $2 million, officials said.

“Combinations of three of the same numbers, known as ‘trips,’ are some of the most popular sets of numbers played,” lottery officials said.

“Whatever three numbers you pick, the odds of matching exactly all three in a Pick 3 drawing are the same: 1 in 1,000.”

Prizes won in the drawing ranged from $250 for people with a 50-cent ticket to $500 for those with a $1 ticket, officials said.

The winners have 180 days to claim their cash.

Pick 3 is a drawing in which players pick any three numbers from 0 to 9, or they have the lottery terminal pick for them.

By picking the same three numbers, players improve their odds by not only matching all three numbers — but getting them in the correct order.

This story was originally published April 28, 2025 at 12:33 PM with the headline "5,420 picked same 3 numbers in the same NC lottery game and all of them won."