Tourist’s stop for water leads to a big South Carolina lottery prize. ‘I freaked out’
A South Carolina tourist stopped to get a water bottle — and scored a lottery ticket that was worth much more.
“I freaked out,” the six-figure prize winner said in a news release. “I ran back in the store and gave the clerk a hug.”
The man — who lives in Atlanta — hit the jackpot while visiting the Spartanburg area. During his trip, officials said he stopped to get water and picked up another item at the same time.
While at the Li’l Cricket convenience store on Chesnee Highway, he spent $10 to play the Retro Riches scratch-off game. It turns out, his ticket beat 1-in-a-million odds to score a big prize, according to the S.C. Education Lottery.
After winning $300,000, the man bought a new car to take on future South Carolina trips.
“I’m extremely happy,” he said in the news release. “I’ll definitely visit South Carolina more.”
The man, who didn’t want to be identified publicly, kept $207,000 after taxes, lottery spokesperson Holli Armstrong told McClatchy News in an email.
It’s not the first time someone has celebrated a lucky moment while on vacation in South Carolina.
In November, officials said a tourist was going to the beach when she made a pit stop and bought a lucky lottery ticket.
Also in South Carolina, a college student heading back from spring break won a jackpot prize, McClatchy News reported in April.
This story was originally published August 29, 2022 at 9:58 AM with the headline "Tourist’s stop for water leads to a big South Carolina lottery prize. ‘I freaked out’."
