Lottery player thought he won $500 — but South Carolina prize had a few more zeros
A South Carolina man celebrated with a “practical purchase” after netting a $500,000 lottery prize.
“I bought myself a new pair of shoes,” the Upstate man told the South Carolina Education Lottery.
The longtime lottery player thought he’d won $500 after scanning his Big $pin scratch-off game at the V Go Mart in Piedmont, where he bought the winning ticket, officials said in a Feb. 14 news release.
The message on the ticket scanner told him to “Claim at Lottery,” according to officials. The man handed his ticket back to the clerk, who told him he won “five.”
He was shocked to learn he had actually won half-a-million dollars, beating odds of 1 in 1,500,000 to snag the game’s jackpot prize, officials said. Two of four top prizes of $500,000 remain in The Big $pin game.
The V Go Mart earned a $5,000 commission for selling the winning ticket, according to the lottery.
Piedmont is about a 100-mile drive northwest from Columbia.
This story was originally published February 14, 2025 at 1:43 PM with the headline "Lottery player thought he won $500 — but South Carolina prize had a few more zeros."