North Carolina's six Holiday Gold scratch-offs launch together

The NC Education Lottery released six scratch-offs on Tuesday, November 3, all sharing the Holiday Gold name, one at each price from $1 to $20. Five of them rate first among North Carolina's active games at their price on our ValueScore™. The sixth, a $10 ticket, swaps a big top prize for a short list of mid-size wins. 

Holiday Gold Surprise ($20)

The top of the line has three $250,000 prizes in about 1.72 million tickets, odds near 1 in 575,000, plus four of $50,000 and eight of $5,000. A bonus box can multiply a front-side win by up to 20 times. It wins 1 in 3.10 times, and 39% of those wins return the $20. Its 74.9% payout trails the state's $20 average of 76.4%, but with all of its big prizes still out it rates 83.9, first of 14 $20 games and fourth of 89 overall.

Holiday Gold Blowout ($10)

Blowout pays $50, $100, or $500 and nothing smaller. Of its 346,725 winners, 230,004 get $50, 112,100 get $100, and 4,621 get $500, about one $500 prize per 747 tickets. Nine of 10 tickets lose, but no winner walks away with less than five times the price. It returns 72.5%, below the state's $10 average of 74.4%, and rates 61.8, fourth of 18 $10 games. It is the third game of this kind to launch in a week, after Connecticut's $20 version and New Hampshire's $50 or $100 ticket.

Holiday Gold Gift ($5)

Holiday Gold Gift spreads three $150,000 top prizes across about 3.62 million tickets, about 1 in 1.2 million. Nine prizes of $10,000 sit below. It wins 1 in 4.09 times and rates 64.8, first of 24 $5 games.

Holiday Gold Tree ($3)

Holiday Gold Tree is played in rows. Match every number across a row and win that row's prize. Its three $75,000 top prizes come to about 1 in 1.08 million tickets. It is one of only two $3 games North Carolina sells and rates 56.8.

$2 Holiday Gold

Four $20,000 top prizes in about 3.94 million tickets work out to 1 in 985,000. A gold bar symbol doubles a prize. It rates 56.8, first of 11 $2 games.

$1 Holiday Gold

The dollar ticket tops out at $2,500, with three of them in about 5.06 million tickets. It wins 1 in 4.87 times and rates 43.0, first of six $1 games.

The six follow last month's $8 Million Supreme, a $50 game that rates 90.1. All recent North Carolina releases are on the new North Carolina scratch-offs page.

Sources

NC Education Lottery: Holiday Gold Surprise (#68)

NC Education Lottery: Holiday Gold Blowout (#67)

NC Education Lottery: Holiday Gold Gift (#66)

NC Education Lottery: Holiday Gold Tree (#65)

NC Education Lottery: $2 Holiday Gold (#64)

NC Education Lottery: $1 Holiday Gold (#63)