Midlands woman tries to keep winning six-figure lottery jackpot a secret
A Midlands woman is going to have a hard time keeping it secret that she’s $125,000 richer, but she’s trying to keep it quiet.
That’s what she told South Carolina Education Lottery officials after recently winning the six-digit jackpot on a scratch-off game.
“No one knows,” the Orangeburg woman said in a news release.
The woman was dedicated to a stealthy plan from the start, lottery officials said. She waited until she got into her car to play the game, and even when she revealed the prize on the ticket, the woman was in disbelief, according to the release.
“This can’t be real,” she said, according to lottery officials.
The winner told lottery officials that at first glance she didn’t believe she won and went home, where she waited half an hour before taking another look at her ticket.
From the seclusion of her home, the woman realized she’d hit the jackpot and was justifiably excited, screaming “I won $125,000!” according to the release.
Her goal to maintain a low profile will be helped by not being publicly identified. The woman’s name was not released because South Carolina is one of eight states — along with Delaware, Kansas, Georgia, Maryland, North Dakota, Ohio and Texas — that allow lottery winners to remain anonymous.
She won the jackpot on a $5 Ca$h Payout scratch-off game, which she bought at at the QuickPantry #5 store on Five Chop Road in Orangeburg, according to the release. That’s near the junction with Whitaker Parkway and Joe S. Jeffords Highway.
Lottery officials said the woman overcame 660,000-to-1 odds to win and claim one of the Ca$h Payout game’s top prizes. One more of the game’s top prizes remain unclaimed, according to the release.
Sticking to her oath of secrecy, the woman did not say how she plans to spend her newfound fortune.
QuickPantry #5 received a commission of $1,250 for selling the winning ticket, according to the release.
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This story was originally published October 1, 2020 at 10:25 AM.
