Columbia woman nearly threw out winning lottery ticket with a six-figure jackpot
A Columbia woman nearly threw away $300,000.
The woman did not immediately realize she had won a six-figure prize and almost tossed the ticket in the trash, South Carolina Lottery officials said in a news release.
She scratched her ticket, thought she lost and set it aside to throw out later, according to the release.
Before trashing the Carolina Bonus Cash game, the woman realized she’d missed something, and a closer look revealed her ticket had the top prize, officials said.
“It was amazing,” the woman said in the release. “I immediately signed my ticket.”
The woman’s name was not released because South Carolina is one of eight states — along with Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, North Dakota, Ohio and Texas — that allow lottery winners to remain anonymous.
She bought the winning scratch-off ticket for $10 at the Speedway gas station/convenience store at 637 Saint Andrews Road, lottery officials said. That’s in Columbia, near Exit 106A on Interstate 26.
The winner plans to spend her newfound fortune by buying a new house, according to the release.
Lottery officials said the odds of winning the top prize in the Carolina Bonus Cash game were 1-in-668,571.43. Four top prizes remain in the game, according to lottery officials.
The Speedway store received a commission of $3,000 for selling the claimed winning ticket, according to the release.
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