Beaufort woman claims $2M lottery prize from ticket she bought right after voting
Talk about a sweet end to your civic duty.
A Beaufort woman has claimed a $2 million lottery prize from a Mega Millions ticket she bought after casting an early ballot this month, according to a news release from the S.C. Education Lottery.
The woman, who has chosen to remain anonymous, said she stopped at the Parkers #58 on Savannah Highway in Beaufort for a drink after voting and decided to play some numbers.
When she checked her Mega Millions ticket the next day, she thought she won $1,000. Her husband looked at the ticket and disagreed.
“No, I think it’s more than that,” he said.
The couple matched the first five numbers drawn on Friday, Oct. 9, to win $1 million: 5, 11, 25, 27, 64 and (Megaball) 13.
Since the winner spent the extra $1 for “Megaplier,” the prize was doubled to $2 million.
As for the millionaire’s plans: “I’m keeping it low key,” she said.
The winner overcame odds of 1 in 12,607,306 to win $2 million.
Parkers #58 in Beaufort received a commission of $20,000 for selling the claimed ticket, according to the news release. The store is in the Shell Point area and in the town of Port Royal.
A call to Parkers on Monday was not returned.
Lottery millionaires in SC
The Beaufort winner is special for another reason: She’s the 201st winner of $1 million or more from the S.C. Education Lottery, according to a separate news release.
Its first millionaire cashed in an $88 million jackpot-winning Powerball ticket in 2003 in Fort Mill.
The milestone is an obvious win for the millionaires, but also for the lottery retailers that sold the winning tickets.
Lottery millionaires in South Carolina have won more than $2.6 billion in prize money.
Lottery retailers earned more than $2.5 million in commissions when the tickets were claimed, and the State of South Carolina benefited from more than $182 million in taxes withheld from those winnings.
Seventy-eight of the 201 millionaires won their $1 million prizes in scratch-off games. South Carolina is one of a handful of states that allows its lottery winners to remain anonymous.
Seventy-three won playing Powerball.
Mega Millions, Palmetto Cash 5, raffles and second-chance drawings combined to account for the rest.
Eight of the winners won multi-million dollar jackpots.
When the lottery is more than a game
Gambling is designed to be a source of entertainment.
If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.
