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Carolina 5 Players Win BIG

8/26/2002 12:00:00 AM

Columbia, SC: Luck struck 4 times. On Friday, August 23, 2002, four people won the top prize of $151,515 in the South Carolina Education Lottery (SCEL)’s numbers game, Carolina 5. More than $680,000 was won in cash prizes.

Carolina 5 players wagered $561,477 for the drawing; they won $680, 590. “This is by far the most we have paid out in this game,” said SCEL’s Chief Operating Officer, Tony Cooper. “Our Carolina 5 players broke the bank.”

The Carolina 5 top prize tickets were sold in the following cities: Seneca, Hopkins, Darlington and North Charleston.

“Unlike most lotteries, players will not have to share the top prize,” said Cooper. “They will each take home $100,000 taxes paid.”

In addition to the top prize, 8,541 players won cash prizes for matching three and four numbers. Here are those prize payout categories:

- 335 player matched four-of-five numbers to win $100
- 8,206 players matched three-of-five numbers to win $5

The SCEL experienced a similar situation, on July 6, 2002, when the Pick 3 winning numbers 4-4-4 were chosen. Pick 3 players who bet on the number 4-4-4 won 260% more than the lottery took in sales according to the lottery’s gaming system.

Since January 2002, the SCEL has returned over $92 million dollars to the State of South Carolina’s Lottery Education Fund. All of SCEL’s net proceeds go to pay for specific educational programs, including South Carolina’s HOPE, LIFE, Palmetto Fellows, National Guard and 2 year institution’s scholarship programs. For a complete listing of programs funded by lottery dollars, please visit our website: www.sceducationlottery.com

“Have fun. Play Smart. Play Responsibly.”

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