According to South Carolina Education Lottery officials, someone who recently stopped at a gas station/convenience store just off Interstate 20 was one number away from winning the Powerball top prize of nearly $500 million.
Although the ticket buyer did not win the $478 million grand prize in last Wednesday’s drawing, the person was rewarded with a $50,000 jackpot for coming so close, officials said in a news release.
Now the search is on for the winner.
The winning five-figure Powerball game was sold at the I-20 Exxon store at 4601 Lamar Highway, according to the release. That’s in Timmonsville, in the part of South Carolina between the Midlands and Pee Dee regions.
The ticket matched four white ball numbers and the red Powerball number, a feat with 1 in 913,129 odds, officials said.
The winning numbers in the October 23 drawing were 2, 15, 27, 29, 39 and Powerball: 20.
According to lottery officials, the winner has 180 days to claim the prize.
The winner is 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 – where lottery winners can remain anonymous. .
“Sign the back of your ticket and keep it in a safe place until you are ready to come forward to claim the prize,” lottery officials said.
For complete information on claiming prizes, visit sceducationlottery.com.
When the ticket is claimed, the gas station is expected to receive a commission for the sale of the winning game.
In addition to the five-figure winning game, more than 11,000 other Powerball players in South Carolina have tickets for prizes ranging from $4 to $50,000, according to the release.
Ahead of Wednesday’s drawing, a ticket was sold in Georgia that won the top prize, so the jackpot for Monday night’s Powerball drawing is now $28 million, officials said.
Anyone wishing to purchase a ticket must make a purchase by Monday at 9:59 PM for the 10:59 PM drawing. Tickets cost $2, and may cost more with additional options.
The odds of winning Powerball’s top prize are 1 in 293 million.
