Rather than leave a convenience store empty handed, a Midlands man decided to buy a second lottery ticket after he didn’t win anything on the first game that he purchased, South Carolina Education Lottery officials said in a news release.
That decision paid off — in a big way — as the second scratch-off game the man bought was a grand prize winner resulting in a $300,000 jackpot , according to the release.
“It surprised me,” the man told lottery officials of winning, after his decision to pivot from one scratch-off game and then buying the Max Money ticket.
What turned out to be the six-figure winning scratch-off game was sold for $10 at the Corner Stop gas station/convenience store at 283 South Guignard Drive in Sumter, officials said.
The man said the first thing he did with his newfound windfall was pay off his house, according to the release. He didn’t reveal any other plans for spending the money.
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 .