Billionswinner in S. Carolina
SIMPSONVILLE, S.C. — The number of billionaires in South Carolina may have doubled overnight — at least before taxes — after a lottery ticket sold in the state won the $1.537 billion Mega Millions lottery jackpot.
The ticket, sold at the KC Mart in Simpsonville, matched all six numbers drawn Tuesday night, defying the 1-in302.5 million odds to win the near-record prize.
The winner would only become an actual billionaire by taking the prize in annual instalments over three decades and hanging on to the bulk of the money. The lucky person can also take an $877.8 million lump-sum cash payment, which most winners choose to receive.
South Carolina Education Lottery officials know when and where the winning ticket was bought, but until someone turns the ticket in, they won’t know who bought it. And the public may never find out. South Carolina allows lottery winners to remain anonymous after conducting a thorough investigation to confirm their identity, lottery chief operating officer Tony Cooper said.
The name of South Carolina’s last big winner — a $399-million Powerball jackpot in September 2013, which at the time was the fourth biggest lottery prize in U.S. history — has never been made public.
“Our message to the
$1.5 BILLION #Mega Millions jackpot winner: Sign the back of the ticket, place the ticket in a safe location, speak with a trusted adviser and CALL THE LOTTERY at 1-866-7369819. Take a deep breath and enjoy the moment!” the South Carolina Education Lottery tweeted.