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SPARTANBURG WOMAN IS SCEL’S NEWEST MILLIONAIRE!

4/10/2006 2:32:41 PM

For More Information contact:
Tara Robertson
(803) 737-2399

Columbia, SC: The South Carolina Education Lottery (SCEL) launched its Carolina Millionaires Club instant ticket on Tuesday, April 4, 2006. In less than a week, SCEL has its first Carolina Millionaires Club winner — a 50 year-old Spartanburg woman.

“I had $20 and I bought a Coke,” she said. “I was in line and people were getting tickets and I said, ‘oh give me one of those $10 tickets.’”

Little did she know, the decision to purchase a lottery ticket was a blessing in disguise.

“I went over to the little stand and I was scratching and scratching.” She didn’t expect the ticket to be a winner until she began to scratch the last line. “It said 22 and I had a 22 and I scratched underneath and it said one million and I said, ‘Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!’”

When the store clerk confirmed the ticket was a winner, “I cried and I cried, then I shook and cried some more. Then I went back to work.”

She has not told anyone, except for her supervisor. “My boss wanted me to sign the ticket and give it to him.” But she didn’t. She did tell lottery officials, “If it gets too hard at work, I may just tell them to stick it.”

All of this transpired on Friday, April 7, 2006. The Spartanburg woman had all weekend to think about what she would do with her winnings.

“I thought about my kids and my grandchildren. If I put this up and let it draw interest, when something happens to me they would say, ‘Look what my mommy did for me.’ They would have enough for a down payment on a house or to pay for their [children’s] education.”

The winner does plan to do something for herself, “I might get a new car and give $5,000 to the American Cancer Society.” She is a two-time breast cancer survivor and hopes to avoid any publicity.

“This was a blessing that I really wasn’t expecting! I’m just going to do right by this!”

The ticket was purchased at Piedmont Petro Corner Mart, located at 602 N.E. Main Street in Simpsonville.

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