Tar Heels® — $5 North Carolina Scratch-Off #59
Tar Heels® (#59) is a $5 North Carolina scratch-off launched on September 29, 2026. As of October 25, 2026 it ranks #42 of 62 active games on current payout (69.9%, $3.49 expected back per ticket) and #6 of 16 $5 games, #33 on any-prize odds (1 in 4.15) and #18 on top-prize odds (1 in 947,759). Since launch the payout has risen 0.9 points (69.0% at launch) and your chance of winning something has risen 0.3% (1 in 4.16 at launch). 2 of 2 top prizes of $200,000 remain, and we estimate 1,895,518 tickets are still unsold (34.9% sold). That is below average for North Carolina; the North Carolina ranking lists show better payouts, including at $5.
Prizes remaining
Every prize level in Tar Heels®, with the odds printed at launch, the odds today given what is left, and how much of each tier is still unclaimed. To set its odds of $1,000 or more (or any other prize size) against every other North Carolina game, see odds by prize size. Across all tiers, 456,654 of 699,514 prizes (65.3%) are still out there.
| Prize | Odds at launch | Odds now | Total | Claimed | Remaining | % left |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $200,000 | 1 in 1,455,720 | 1 in 947,759 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 100.0% |
| $10,000 | 1 in 485,240 | 1 in 631,839 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50.0% |
| $2,000 | 1 in 181,965 | 1 in 236,940 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 50.0% |
| $500 | 1 in 9,903 | 1 in 10,832 | 294 | 119 | 175 | 59.5% |
| $200 | 1 in 9,803 | 1 in 9,292 | 297 | 93 | 204 | 68.7% |
| $100 | 1 in 401.8 | 1 in 411.6 | 7,246 | 2,641 | 4,605 | 63.6% |
| $50 | 1 in 171.5 | 1 in 175.0 | 16,980 | 6,149 | 10,831 | 63.8% |
| $25 | 1 in 36.3 | 1 in 36.8 | 80,261 | 28,698 | 51,563 | 64.2% |
| $15 | 1 in 18.5 | 1 in 18.6 | 157,694 | 55,705 | 101,989 | 64.7% |
| $10 | 1 in 12.0 | 1 in 12.0 | 242,620 | 84,503 | 158,117 | 65.2% |
| $5 | 1 in 15.0 | 1 in 14.7 | 194,098 | 64,941 | 129,157 | 66.5% |
| All prizes | 1 in 4.16 | 1 in 4.15 | 699,514 | 242,860 | 456,654 | 65.3% |
How Tar Heels® has moved
Recent claims of $1,000 and up
- October 24, 2026: 2 $2,000 prizes were claimed; 8 remain.
- October 23, 2026: 2 $2,000 prizes were claimed; 10 remain.
- October 20, 2026: 2 $10,000 prizes were claimed; 3 remain.
- October 20, 2026: one $2,000 prize was claimed; 12 remain.
- October 17, 2026: one $2,000 prize was claimed; 13 remain.
- October 10, 2026: one $10,000 prize was claimed; 5 remain.
- October 6, 2026: 2 $2,000 prizes were claimed; 14 remain.
Tar Heels®: common questions
- How many $200,000 prizes are left in Tar Heels®?
- 2 of 2 as of October 25, 2026. The chance that a ticket bought today is a top-prize winner is about 1 in 947,759.
- What are the odds of winning anything on Tar Heels®?
- 1 in 4.15 as of October 25, 2026, compared with 1 in 4.16 printed at launch. Cash-only odds are 1 in 4.15, and the odds of winning more than the $5 ticket price are 1 in 5.79.
- Is Tar Heels® worth buying?
- Its current payout is 69.9% ($3.49 back per $5 ticket), rank #42 of 62 in North Carolina. The best $5 alternative as of October 25, 2026 is LOTERIA® Fiesta (#2, $5) at 75.8%. No scratcher has a positive expected value; this is about losing less over time.
- How many Tar Heels® tickets are left?
- We estimate 1,895,518 of roughly 2,911,470 printed tickets are unsold (34.9% sold), derived from the prizes claimed at each tier and their published odds.
- When did Tar Heels® launch and is it still on sale?
- It launched on September 29, 2026. It is still on sale.
Other $5 North Carolina scratch-offs
- Double Your Money — 81.0% payout, 1 in 3.85 any prize
- LOTERIA® Fiesta — 75.8% payout, 1 in 3.28 any prize
- $5 MONOPOLY® — 70.3% payout, 1 in 4.15 any prize
- Jungle Cashword — 70.1% payout, 1 in 3.63 any prize
- Prize Link Connect — 69.9% payout, 1 in 4.18 any prize