New lucky number for Columbia man who won six-digit lottery jackpot, officials say

A Columbia man has a new favorite number after winning a six-figure jackpot, the South Carolina Education Lottery said Wednesday.

While the Columbia man told lottery officials the number 36 now has a special meaning after matching on the game to win the prize, it would also be understandable if he said $300,000 was his favorite number.

That’s the amount he won after buying a $10 Go Green scratch-off ticket, lottery officials said in a news release.

“I’ll never forget that number,” the man said of 36 in the release.

He bought the winning scratch-off game at the Express Lotto gas station/convenience store at 1900 Bush River Road, according to the release. That’s near Exit 108 on Interstate 26, and about a mile-and-a-half from Dutch Square Mall.

It’s also half a mile from the Sunoco Food Mart on Bush River Road, where another Columbia man recently captured a $30,000 prize in a scratch-off game.

The $300,000 winner told lottery officials he waited until he got home to reveal what was hidden in the scratch-off game. The man said he was glad to be sitting down when he saw how much he’d won, according to the release.

“I had to look at it five times,” he said. “I’ve never been that lucky.”

The man’s name was not released because South Carolina is one of eight states — along with Delaware, Kansas, Georgia, Maryland, North Dakota, Ohio and Texas — that allow lottery winners to remain anonymous.

Lottery officials said the man overcame 780,000-to-1 odds to win and claim one of the Go Green game’s six top prizes. Three of the top prizes remain unclaimed, according to the release.

The winner did not reveal any plans for how he will spend his newfound fortune.

Express Lotto received a commission of $3,000 for selling the winning ticket, according to the release.