SC woman taking dog to vet stopped to buy a lottery ticket. It paid off in big way
A Midlands woman was taking her dog to the vet and had some time to kill, so she stopped at a grocery store to buy a lottery ticket, South Carolina Education Lottery officials said Thursday in a news release.
When the woman discovered that she had won the Monopoly scratch-off game’s $200,000 grand prize it seemed like she might need medical attention, according to the release.
“I almost passed out,” she said in the release.
While the woman said she was stunned as she left the Food Lion on N. Guignard Drive in Sumter, she was able to make it to veterinarian’s office, according to the release.
Then she headed to downtown Columbia to cash in her jackpot at the Lottery Claims Center, officials said.
“This is the best thing that’s happened to me in a long time,” the woman said.
She purchased the Monopoly lottery game for $5 at the Food Lion, according to the release.
Although the woman didn’t say what she would do with her newfound windfall, lottery officials said now she’s debt free. There was no word if any of the winnings went toward paying for her dog’s vet bill.
The winner will be allowed to retain some privacy, as South Carolina is one of 11 states — along with Arizona, Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Texas and Virginia — that allow lottery winners to remain anonymous.
The odds of winning the $200,000 top prize in the Monopoly game were 1-in-720,000, according to the release. This was the last of the game’s three top prize-winning tickets that had been unclaimed.
The Food Lion received a commission of $2,000 for selling the claimed ticket, according to the release.
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This story was originally published June 6, 2024 at 12:39 PM with the headline "SC woman taking dog to vet stopped to buy a lottery ticket. It paid off in big way."
