SC man says his ‘lifestyle has stepped up’ after winning lottery game’s grand prize

A South Carolina man didn’t use the word lucky, but he credited good fortune to putting him in the right place at the right time when he won a scratch-off lottery game’s grand prize.

“It was amazing,” the man told South Carolina Education Lottery officials after he won $500,000 on a lottery ticket he bought in Columbia.

The man bought what turned out to be the winning ticket for $10 at the Shiv Food Mart on Farrow Road, officials said in a news release.

The man didn’t say how he plans to spend his newfound windfall, saying only his “lifestyle has stepped up,” according to the release.

The winner will be allowed to retain some privacy, as South Carolina is one of 11 states — along with Arizona, Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Texas and Virginia — that allow lottery winners to remain anonymous.

The odds of winning the $500,000 top prize in the 100X The Cash game were 1-in-960,000, according to the release. Two of the game’s five top prize-winning tickets remain unclaimed, officials said.

The Shiv Food Mart received a commission of $5,000 for selling the claimed ticket, according to the release.