Powerball player just misses jackpot — but still wins big prize. He’s yet to spend it
.jpg "A Powerball player is still holding on to his prize money weeks after he won big in a drawing.")
A Powerball player just missed the jackpot — but still won enough money to leave him in disbelief.
Now, more than a month after the drawing, the lucky man is yet to spend any of his $100,000 windfall, according to the South Carolina Education Lottery.
“I’m still hanging on to it,” the winner told lottery officials in a Feb. 8 news release. “It was a big shock.”
The man scored the surprising win after he went to a Corner Stop convenience store in Gaffney, roughly 50 miles northeast of Greenville. While there, he spent $3 on a ticket for the Powerball game’s Dec. 20 drawing.
It turns out, the man’s ticket matched five of the six numbers picked that night, scoring him $50,000. But his prize doubled because he spent an extra dollar on the Power Play option, according to the game’s rules.
“I’m still shocked,” said the man, whose ticket beat 1-in-913,000 odds to match four white balls and the Powerball number.
His ticket was one number away from scoring the game’s estimated top prize of $576 million, results show.
The South Carolina winner, who wasn’t identified in the news release, said he likes to play the lottery when jackpot prizes grow. His attempt paid off with a prize that totaled $69,500 after taxes, spokesperson Holli Armstrong told McClatchy News in an email.
The man’s win comes after another lucky South Carolina lottery player waited to spend much of his prize money. That winner had dreams of paying off his home, McClatchy News reported in August.
What to know about Powerball
To score a jackpot in the Powerball, a player must match all five white balls and the red Powerball.
The odds of scoring the jackpot prize are 1 in 292,201,338.
Tickets cost $2 and can be bought on the day of the drawing, but sales times vary by state.
Drawings are broadcast Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:59 p.m. ET and can be streamed online.
Powerball is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWhen 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.
