SC man thought he was having a heart attack after winning lottery game’s grand prize

A South Carolina man said he went from the sensation of having a heart attack to “a wonderful feeling in the end,” after winning the grand prize in a South Carolina Education Lottery game, officials said in a news release.

“It’s fun,” the grandpa who lives in the Midlands said of winning a $300,000 jackpot on a scratch-off lottery ticket, according to the release.

The man bought what turned out to be the six-figure winning Cash Payout ticket for $10 at the AMPM Food Mart on Hard Scrabble Road in Columbia, officials said. That’s near the intersection with Clemson Road in the northeast portion of Richland County.

The man said he bought the ticket in the morning, but waited until later that night to start scratching, according to the release.

When the $300,000 prize was revealed the man said he went from thinking he was going to have a heart attack to wondering if he was seeing things, officials said.

“It was weird and crazy,” he said.

Thankfully there was no medical emergency, and the winner won’t have to use his prize to pay hospital bills.

The man didn’t provide specific details about how he’ll spend his winnings, but said he plans on using his newfound windfall to spoil his grandchildren, 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 $300,000 top prize in the Cash Payout game were 1-in-984,000, according to the release. Two of the game’s five top prize-winning tickets remains unclaimed, officials said.

The AMPM Food Mart received a commission of $3,000 for selling the claimed ticket, according to the release.