A “spontaneous” Powerball player scored a huge prize — and her next move left her family “stunned,” officials said.
The woman made the unexpected decision to share some of her prize money with her siblings, according to the South Carolina Education Lottery.
“I wanted to make positive changes for my family,” the Spartanburg-area winner told lottery officials in an April 18 news release.
The woman shared the wealth after she bought a ticket that matched all but one number picked in the Feb. 28 drawing. Since she spent an extra dollar on the Power Play option, her $50,000 prize doubled to $100,000, McClatchy News reported.
“I was definitely surprised,” the woman said. “I kept rechecking it to be sure it was true.”
The prize was the real deal, and the woman scored it after she bought her lucky ticket on a whim.
She was at a Scotchman convenience store in Cowpens when she reportedly made the “spontaneous,” “spur of the moment” decision to play Powerball. She chose the Quick Pick option, meaning a machine randomly chose the numbers for her.
It turns out, her $3 ticket matched five of the six numbers picked in the lottery’s drawing. But it was one number from winning that night’s estimated jackpot of $414 million, drawing results show.
The winner — who wasn’t identified in the news release — kept $69,500 after taxes, lottery spokesperson Holli Armstrong told McClatchy News in an email.
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 can be bought on the day of the drawing, but sales times and price 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.
Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.
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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