Columbia man can’t stop looking at ticket after winning six-digit lottery jackpot
After scratching off a $250,000 winning jackpot on a lottery game, a Columbia man could not stop looking at his ticket.
First, he grabbed his glasses for a closer look to be sure his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him, South Carolina Education Lottery officials said in a news release.
Later, the man got out of bed in the middle of the night to have another look at the six-figure winning CA$HTASTIC scratch-off game, according to the release.
The result was the same, and he’s a quarter of a million dollars richer, officials said.
“I couldn’t stop looking at it,” the man said in the release. “It was exciting. I love to play.”
He won the jackpot on a $10 scratch-off game bought at at the Southeast BP on Garners Ferry Road in Columbia, according to the release. That’s near the junction with Interstate 77 and a Walmart Supercenter.
The man’s name was not released because South Carolina is one of eight states — along with Delaware, Kansas, Georgia, Maryland, North Dakota, Ohio and Texas — that allow lottery winners to remain anonymous.
He did reveal he plans to share his windfall with his church and family, according to the release.
Lottery officials said the man overcame 675,000-to-1 odds to win and claim one of the CA$HTASTIC game’s top prizes. Five more of the game’s top prizes remains unclaimed, according to the release.
The Southeast BP location in Columbia received a commission of $2,500 for selling the winning ticket, according to the release.
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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.
