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North Carolina launches its first university-branded scratch-offs
TAR HEELS and NC STATE are the lottery’s first university-branded games. Each $5 scratch-off offers two $200,000 top prizes.
The NC Education Lottery launched its first university-branded scratch-off games on September 29, 2026, introducing two $5 tickets tied to North Carolina universities.
The games are called TAR HEELS and NC STATE. The lottery partnered with two universities for the launch, bringing university branding to its scratch-off tickets for the first time.
Each game offers two top prizes of $200,000. Across both games, the lottery says more than $20 million in total prizes is available. The prize figures cover the two games together; each has its own pair of $200,000 top prizes.
TAR HEELS and NC STATE each come in three ticket designs. All three designs within a game share the same $5 ticket price.
Both games also have a second-chance promotion offering access to team-related VIP experiences. That gives each university-branded game a promotion connected to its team in addition to the prizes offered on the scratch-off tickets.
The NC Education Lottery lists the overall odds of winning a prize as 1 in 4.16 for each game. The odds of winning a $200,000 top prize are 1 in 1.44 million.
The launch brings together the same ticket price, number of top prizes, number of designs and overall winning odds across the two games. The separate second-chance promotions extend the university connection beyond the tickets themselves.
Players seeking current draw information can use the latest North Carolina lottery results page.