Why lottery officials called SC man ‘a good son’ after he won game’s grand prize

When a Midlands man told the South Carolina Education Lottery his plans for spending the six-figure grand prize he recently won, officials called him “a good son.”

That’s because the man who won $300,000 playing Palmetto Cash 5 claimed he’s paying off his parents’ house, officials said Thursday in a news release.

The man bought what turned out to be the winning ticket at the Circle K gas station/convenience store at 5372 Sunset Blvd., for $2 prior to the Feb. 4 drawing, according to the release. That’s in a busy part of Lexington that’s densely packed with box stores, retail businesses and restaurants.

The winner actually was with his mother the next day when he discovered his newfound windfall, officials said.

On Feb. 5, he used a store’s ticket checker to scan the results, according to the release. When the message read to “Claim at Lottery,” he couldn’t wait for a trip to Columbia and looked up the results on his phone, officials said.

The winning numbers from the Feb. 4 drawing were 8 10, 14, 32, 38, and Power-Up: 3.

The Palmetto Cash 5 ticket matched all five numbers drawn to win the game’s top prize, officials said. Because the Midlands man bought the power-up option for an additional $1, the prize was tripled to $300,000 when a three was drawn, according to the release.

Buying lottery tickets is nothing new for the Midlands man, who told officials, “I play every day.” But he confessed he’s never been this successful in the past.

“It’s the largest single win of my life for sure,” he said in the release.

It might not be his last win, as the man told officials he will continue to play Palmetto Cash 5.

The winner will be allowed to retain some privacy, as South Carolina is one of 11 states — along with Arizona, Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Texas and Virginia — that allow lottery winners to remain anonymous.

The odds of winning the $300,000 top prize in Palmetto Cash 5 were 1-in-1,405,438, according to the release.

The Circle K store received a commission of $3,000 for selling the claimed ticket, officials said.

Also on Feb. 5, another six-figure winning Palmetto Cash 5 game was sold in Lexington. That $200,000-winning ticket was sold at the Quick Stop gas station/convenience store at 1202 W. Main St., according to officials. That’s just three miles from where the $300,000-winning game was purchased.

Officials have not said if the winner of the Feb. 5 drawing has come forward to claim the prize.