COLUMBIA, SC (October 24 2024) – A Pee Dee man spent a sleepless night wondering if he really won $1 million playing Mega Millions®.
He bought the Mega Millions® ticket while grabbing some coffee creamer at the Food Lion on Hwy. 9 E. in Longs. He checked his quick pick following the 11 p.m. drawing on Thursday, August 27 (16, 18, 21, 54, 65 and MB: 5). The ticket matched the first five numbers drawn, but missed the Megaball® number.
“I was in disbelief,” the winner said. “Is this real? This cannot be real.”
The next morning he had a family member drive him to the Lottery’s claims center in Columbia to have officials take a look at his ticket. He got the parking space right in front of the Lottery’s office and took that as a good sign. He left the claims center with a check for a $1 million win.
“When they handed me the check, I was still in disbelief,” he said.
The Lottery caught up with the millionaire recently, who is enjoying life. He’s made one big purchase, a new car.
The odds of winning $1 million playing Mega Millions® are 1 in 12,607,306.
For selling the claimed ticket, Food Lion #2112 in Longs received a commission of $10,000.
The estimated Mega Millions® jackpot for Friday night’s drawing is $229 million.
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