Check your pockets: $25,000 a year for life lottery prize sold in Columbia
Someone won a life-changing prize on Christmas Eve after buying a lottery ticket at a Columbia convenience store, according to the South Carolina Education Lottery.
Now the ticket holder must choose between $25,000 a month for life, or a one-time payout of a six-digit jackpot.
Lottery officials said the winning Lucky for Life ticket was purchased at Jimmy’s Mart on Two Notch Road. That’s near Spring Valley High School.
The winning numbers — 2, 15, 40, 44, and 47 — were drawn Dec. 24.
If the person had also matched the Lucky Ball number that was drawn (12), the prize would have increased to $7,000 a week for life, according to the game’s rules.
The winner now has 180 days to claim the prize, according to lottery officials. But that prize has two options.
The first is $25,000 a year “for life,” which is payable for the length of the winner’s natural life, with payments guaranteed for a minimum of 20 years, lottery officials said.
The alternative choice is a one-time lump sum cash payment of $390,000, according to the release.
“Speak with someone you trust to help you decide,” lottery officials said. “Sign the back of your ticket and put it in a safe location until you’re ready to come forward to claim the prize.”
The winner will be allowed to retain some privacy, as 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.
The odds of winning $25,000 a year for life are are 1,813,028-to-1, lottery officials said.
The winner will join 8,000 other South Carolina residents who collect annual prizes — from $3 to $25,000 — because they hold Lucky for Life tickets, according to the release.
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This story was originally published December 29, 2020 at 10:59 AM.
