She was hoping to win at least $20 — but scored much more in South Carolina lottery
A lottery player hoped to win at least $20 — but ended up with a much bigger prize in South Carolina.
The woman was checking her Powerball ticket when she noticed it matched almost all the numbers picked in a recent drawing, the S.C. Education Lottery said Nov. 3.
“It was surreal,” the woman told lottery officials.
It turns out, the ticket was worth $150,000 — thousands more than she had hoped for.
“It was a lot of fun,” said the woman, who beat 1-in-913,129 odds to win big.
Officials said she had the moment of joy after going to a Kangaroo Express convenience store in Simpsonville, roughly 14 miles southeast of Greenville. While there, she bought her lucky ticket for the Sept. 22 Powerball drawing.
The woman — who wasn’t identified in the news release — took home $103,500 after taxes, according to lottery spokesperson Holli Armstrong. Now, the winner plans to put her prize money toward retirement, officials said.
It’s not the first time a lottery win has exceeded expectations.
In North Carolina, a man with hopes of a big prize said he never thought he would score $1 million. But that’s exactly how much he recently won in a scratch-off game, The Charlotte Observer reported.
BEHIND THE STORY
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 November 4, 2021 at 12:32 PM with the headline "She was hoping to win at least $20 — but scored much more in South Carolina lottery."
