SC lottery player beat the odds to win $30,000, but was one pick away from the big win

Someone out there is $30,000 richer right now and perhaps doesn’t even know it.

The winning Mega Millions lottery ticket was sold for the Friday drawing at the Food Lion on Hard Scrabble Road in Columbia.

S.C. Education Lottery spokesperson Holli Armstrong said at midday Monday no one had claimed the prize.

The South Carolina Lottery Commission said the ticket buyer bought the Megaplier option and matched four numbers and the Megaball number. That increased the winnings to $30,000 from $10,000.

Players have 180 days from the date of the drawing to claim their prize.

The numbers for the Friday drawing were 15 - 26 - 28 - 35 - 45, and the Megaball was 4.

The odds of matching four numbers and the Megaball were 1 in 931,001. In all, 12 players across the U.S. matched four numbers.

No one won the Friday jackpot for $22 million. The next drawing is Tuesday. The value is $26 million.

“The player missed winning the jackpot by one number,” a news release from the S.C. lottery commission said.

So close, but so far away.

This story was originally published November 1, 2021 at 12:32 PM.