COLUMBIA, SC (August 14, 2014) – Not one, but two lottery winners this week almost threw away winning tickets.
Their advice to others: Check your tickets twice.
For Jimmy “Mac” McMillian not double checking would have cost him $100,000.
The retired, Beaufort resident bought several Black Diamond Riches scratch-offs at the BP Food Shop on Parris Island Gtwy. in Beaufort. At home, he separated his tickets into two piles—the winners and the losers. The $100,000 ticket was in the losing pile.
“My old heart was thumping,” he said, when he realized his error.
A Columbia winner fished his winning ticket out of the trash after first throwing it away. The Cash Money scratch-off he bought at the K Stop on Augusta Rd. in West Columbia and thought was worthless was a $200,000 top prize winner.
It wasn’t a rookie mistake for either gentleman. McMillian buys tickets every Sunday. The Columbia winner has played occasionally on and off for years.
Their stories highlight the importance of looking over your tickets several times, even triple checking, to make sure your ticket’s not a winner. When in doubt, it never hurts to have a lottery retailer scan the ticket too.
In excess of $14 million in winnings went unclaimed by the South Carolina Education Lottery last fiscal year. The funds supported education, a big chunk invested in school buses. But, the winners lost out.
Today, the Columbia winner has put his winnings in a college fund.
As for McMillian, “When I told my daughter I won, she told me ‘Dad, go have a ball.’”
Three top prizes of $100,000 remain in the Black Diamond Riches game (Odds: 1 in 480,000). For Cash Money, four $200,000 prizes remain in the ticket (Odds: 1 in 600,000).
Each retailer received a 1 percent commission for selling the claimed tickets.
Their advice to others: Check your tickets twice.
For Jimmy “Mac” McMillian not double checking would have cost him $100,000.
The retired, Beaufort resident bought several Black Diamond Riches scratch-offs at the BP Food Shop on Parris Island Gtwy. in Beaufort. At home, he separated his tickets into two piles—the winners and the losers. The $100,000 ticket was in the losing pile.
“My old heart was thumping,” he said, when he realized his error.
A Columbia winner fished his winning ticket out of the trash after first throwing it away. The Cash Money scratch-off he bought at the K Stop on Augusta Rd. in West Columbia and thought was worthless was a $200,000 top prize winner.
It wasn’t a rookie mistake for either gentleman. McMillian buys tickets every Sunday. The Columbia winner has played occasionally on and off for years.
Their stories highlight the importance of looking over your tickets several times, even triple checking, to make sure your ticket’s not a winner. When in doubt, it never hurts to have a lottery retailer scan the ticket too.
In excess of $14 million in winnings went unclaimed by the South Carolina Education Lottery last fiscal year. The funds supported education, a big chunk invested in school buses. But, the winners lost out.
Today, the Columbia winner has put his winnings in a college fund.
As for McMillian, “When I told my daughter I won, she told me ‘Dad, go have a ball.’”
Three top prizes of $100,000 remain in the Black Diamond Riches game (Odds: 1 in 480,000). For Cash Money, four $200,000 prizes remain in the ticket (Odds: 1 in 600,000).
Each retailer received a 1 percent commission for selling the claimed tickets.
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