South Carolina

She was hoping to win at least $20 — but scored much more in South Carolina lottery

A lottery player hoped to win at least $20 — but ended up with a much bigger prize in South Carolina.

The woman was checking her Powerball ticket when she noticed it matched almost all the numbers picked in a recent drawing, the S.C. Education Lottery said Nov. 3.

“It was surreal,” the woman told lottery officials.

It turns out, the ticket was worth $150,000 — thousands more than she had hoped for.

“It was a lot of fun,” said the woman, who beat 1-in-913,129 odds to win big.

Officials said she had the moment of joy after going to a Kangaroo Express convenience store in Simpsonville, roughly 14 miles southeast of Greenville. While there, she bought her lucky ticket for the Sept. 22 Powerball drawing.

The woman — who wasn’t identified in the news release — took home $103,500 after taxes, according to lottery spokesperson Holli Armstrong. Now, the winner plans to put her prize money toward retirement, officials said.

It’s not the first time a lottery win has exceeded expectations.

In North Carolina, a man with hopes of a big prize said he never thought he would score $1 million. But that’s exactly how much he recently won in a scratch-off game, The Charlotte Observer reported.

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When gambling is more than a game

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.

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Simone Jasper
The News & Observer
Simone Jasper is a service journalism reporter at The News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina.
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