West Columbia woman wins $200,000 in lottery by choosing numbers based on siblings’ birthday months

A West Columbia woman is $200,000 richer after winning big in the South Carolina Education Lottery Wednesday, but she couldn’t have done it without the help of her son.

S.C. Education Lottery officials said the woman was on the phone with her son as he stopped at the Pitt Stop on Knox Abbot Drive in Cayce, when she asked him to pick up a Palmetto Cash 5 ticket.

Officials said the woman selected the winning numbers – 1,2,5,8 and 9 – by combining the months in which her brothers and sisters were born.

Since the woman “Powered-up” for an extra $1, her $100,000 win doubled with the selection of a “2 multiplier,” officials said.

“She had a look on her face that I’d never seen before,” the son said after his mother cashed the ticket.

“I’m buying a spanking new car,” the woman said after turning in the ticket.

Officials said the odds of winning $200,000 playing Palmetto Cash 5 are one in 1,003,884.

The Pitt Stop that sold the winning ticket will also receive a $2,000 commission, officials said.