SC man thought mom was in distress — they actually won a big lottery jackpot

When an Orangeburg man got an urgent phone call from his mother, he thought she was in distress. But he discovered it was good news after rushing to her side only to find his mom clutching a winning lottery ticket, according to the South Carolina Education Lottery.

The mother and son won $125,000, lottery officials said in a news release.

“It was unexpected,” the man said in the release.

It wasn’t uncommon for the son and mother to play lottery games. The son regularly buys tickets for his mother to scratch off, lottery officials said.

In this case, the man told lottery officials that he cashed in $30 worth of winning tickets at the Dollar Deals on Boulevard Street in Orangeburg, near Claflin University in downtown Orangeburg. He used the winnings to buy more tickets for his mom, including a $5 X The Money game, according to the release.

Later his mom made the frantic call, and he soon learned about the big win.

The mother and son’s names were 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.

They told lottery officials they plan to share their winnings with the rest of the family, but did not reveal specific plans for how they will spend the newfound fortune.

Lottery officials said the odds of winning the top prize in the X The Money game were 1-in-600,000. Two top prizes remain in the game, according to lottery officials.

Dollar Deals in Orangeburg received a commission of $1,250 for selling the winning ticket, according to the release.