She thought she won $300 — but her lottery ticket was worth much more in South Carolina
A South Carolina woman thought she won $300 — but she wasn’t done checking her lottery ticket.
“I scratched a little more and realized I was going to have to go to Columbia,” she told the S.C. Education Lottery.
That’s where she claimed her prize, which ended up being $300,000, officials said Friday.
The woman, who wasn’t identified in a news release, got the big windfall after shopping for groceries in North Augusta, roughly 70 miles southwest of Columbia. At a Food Lion store, officials said she bought items to make hash and tried her luck on a $10 ticket for the Xtreme Purple Multiplier game.
A pot was heating up in the kitchen when she scratched her ticket and discovered she had hit the jackpot.
“The hash tasted a whole lot better,” said the woman, who had trouble sleeping after the big win.
It turns out, the winner beat 1-in-900,000 odds to score the prize. She kept $207,000 after taxes, according to S.C. Education Lottery spokesperson Holli Armstrong.
It’s not the only time a South Carolina lottery winner has been mistaken about a big prize.
In September, officials said a man believed he won $3 but actually had scored much more money.
A few months earlier, a player was missing a few zeroes when she first checked her $300,000 ticket, McClatchy News reported in April.
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MOREWhen gambling 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.
This story was originally published October 18, 2021 at 10:47 AM with the headline "She thought she won $300 — but her lottery ticket was worth much more in South Carolina."
