COLUMBIA, SC (October 15, 2007) – A fortune cookie is being credited with prompting an Upstate man to buy a Palmetto Cash 5 ticket for the September 5 drawing. The player, who wishes to remain anonymous, says two days before he picked his numbers he received a fortune cookie with this message: Fortune is on your side, play it for all it’s worth.
The man said the fortune cookie incident encouraged him to play the Lottery a few days earlier than he had planned. The numbers he chose were the winning Palmetto Cash 5 numbers 9, 10, 18, 22 and 29. He spent an extra dollar for the Power-Up option. The Power-Up multiplier drawn was a 5, which increased the player’s prize from $100,000 to $500,000!
“I found out I won on the morning of my birthday, when I looked at the South Carolina Education Lottery website, www.sceducationlottery.com,” the player said. “What a birthday surprise! To make it even more special, my wife and I share the same birthday.”
The winner plans on using his prize to help his mother renovate her home and save for retirement. He bought his lucky ticket at Fairway Conoco in Fort Mill.
Since its inception in 2002, the South Carolina Education Lottery has launched more than 220 instant games and five online games. Currently, SCEL offers approximately 30 instant games and four online games at more than 3,500 lottery retailers statewide. Traditionally, SCEL produces an average of four new games each month in a variety of themes, play styles, and price points of $1 - $10. During the past five years, the support the South Carolina Education Lottery has received from players and retailers is responsible for the General Assembly appropriating more than $1.74 billion for educational purposes through fiscal year 2008.
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