Unlucky 0s: Odd pick three hits and more than 5,000 players split prize

Independent

28-04-2025

Some lottery players pick their numbers at random, some draw from important dates and surely more than a few have a special system for trying to predict which digits will land them a fat jackpot.
And some people just pick 0-0-0.
In North Carolina, there were actually a lot of people; 5,420 lotto players had to share a $2 million prize after the Carolina Pick 3 drew triple zeroes on April 26, according to the state lottery. Unfortunately, splitting a $2 million pot with more than 5,000 people means no one was getting rich from their winnings.
According to lottery officials, playing triples — three of the same number — is actually a fairly popular tactic for the Pick 3 game.
'Combinations of three of the same numbers, known as 'trips,' are some of the most popular sets of numbers played," lottery officials said, according to the Raleigh News & Observer.
So what are the odds of hitting on all three numbers? Not terrible, at least relative to other lottery odds.
'Whatever three numbers you pick, the odds of matching exactly all three in a Pick 3 drawing are the same: 1 in 1,000," lottery officials said.
Prizes from the drawing ranged from $250 for people who bought a 50-cent ticket to $500 for those who bought the $1 ticket. Not yacht money, but it's something.
All 5,000 plus winners have 180 days to claim their cash.
Pick 3, as the name implies, has players pick three numbers from 0 to 9. Players can also let the terminal randomly select their numbers. Playing the same three numbers removes having to pick the order of three different numbers, taking out some of the guesswork of picking not only the right numbers, but the right order.
A little further west, someone in Kentucky was celebrating winning the state's largest ever Powerball jackpot.
According to WLWT, a $167.3 million Powerball Jackpot was sold at a gas station in Georgetown.
The winning ticket reportedly matched all five white balls and the Powerball, with the winner selecting the numbers being 1-12-14-18-69, and 2 for the Powerball.
The jackpot is the largest in the state's history, toppling the previous record of $128.6 million.