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S.C. Lottery board votes to add Mega MillionsNews Story
The South Carolina Education Lottery Commission voted Tuesday to move forward with the proposal to add the Mega Millions game to the line-up of games currently offered for sale in the Palmetto State. The nine-member Board voted unanimously to allow cross-selling of Mega Millions and Powerball as early as January 31, 2010. South Carolina is one of 31 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands belonging to the Multi-State Lottery Association which operates Powerball. SCEL b
Nov 10, 2009, 11:26 pm - Lottery News

$260M Powerball lottery jackpot claimed by S.C. retireeNews Story
The wait is over to discover who won the massive $260 million Powerball multi-state lottery jackpot last Wednesday night. This afternoon at a news conference held at the Lottery's Columbia claims center on Assembly Street, the lucky winner was revealed to be a retired South Carolina state employee who spent two bucks for Powerball tickets. Solomon Jackson Jr., of Columbia, refused Tuesday to say much about himself or his plans, including whether he will take his winnings annually over thre
Aug 25, 2009, 3:49 pm - Lottery News

Paula Bethea named interim S.C. Lottery chiefNews Story
The S.C. lottery has hired one of the games' original commissioners to be its interim executive director, an official said Wednesday. Paula Harper Bethea, a Bluffton civic leader and McNair Law Firm executive, is expected to take over daily operations of the $1 billion-a-year lottery later this month, said Tim Madden, lottery commission chairman. Bethea will succeed executive director Ernie Passailaigue. He resigned July 1 to start the Arkansas lottery, which is expected to begin sales lat
Jul 9, 2009, 8:03 am - Lottery News

$800,000 lottery ticket expires WednesdayNews Story
A winning lottery ticket worth $800,000 sold in Belton, South Carolina, expires this Wednesday, and the lottery has not heard from the ticket's owner. The MegaMatch 6 ticket was bought about six months ago at a KMO store in Belton. The winning numbers in the Jan. 2 drawing were 4, 7, 17, 18, 25 and 28. Winning tickets must be claimed in person by the end of the business day within 180 days of the draw date printed on the ticket. Claims are made at one of three lottery claims centers, locat
Jun 29, 2009, 1:31 pm - Lottery News

Arkansas Lottery hires away S.C. directorNews Story
New director is 3rd highest-paid in U.S. The Arkansas Lottery Commission has hired Ernie Passailaigue, the director of the South Carolina lottery, to lead the formation of Arkansas' newly approved lottery program. He will start the job July 1 and be paid a salary of $324,000. It's possible that lottery ticket sales could begin as early as October. Passailaigue (pronounced Pass'-a-laig) is a past president of the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries, a lottery tra
Jun 18, 2009, 9:47 pm - Lottery News

S.C. lottery chief says Arkansas can clear $125M in first yearNews Story
New commission urged to focus on hiring director South Carolina lottery director Ernie Passailaigue estimated that the Arkansas lottery could clear roughly $125 million in net profit its first year. Passailaigue spoke to Arkansas Lottery Commission members Thursday afternoon at a working retreat held at the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute within Petit Jean State Park. Joining him to pass along expertise in helping implement successful state lotteries was Margaret DeFrancisco, director of th
May 15, 2009, 8:24 am - Lottery News

Programming errors cause S.C. Lottery payout problemsNews Story
Software bugs discovered in new system The executive director of the South Carolina Lottery apologized to players Wednesday, a week after software glitches caused some lottery tickets to not be paid correctly. Ernie Passailaigue, who heads the lottery, said a myriad of problems surfaced last week but have since been fixed. He said the problems stem from the installation of a new software system. Some game tickets from the lottery's former game contractor didn't scan properly, he said, a
Nov 14, 2008, 9:42 am - Lottery News

South Carolina lottery sales increaseNews Story
South Carolina lottery officials say sales since July are up $6 million from the same period last year. Lottery officials say profits should reach the $252 million goal needed to pay for college scholarships. So, the economy is down, but people are still spending on lottery tickets. Peggy Adams sells them every day at Gullies Convenience Store. Because the economy is bad, and people are hoping to win some money to make things better, said Adams. The obsession to strike it rich ha
Nov 14, 2008, 8:12 am - Lottery News

Teen wins $35 million Powerball lottery jackpotNews Story
Jonathan Vargas turns 20 in July. But he relied on the ages of close relatives instead of his own when he picked the six winning numbers for Saturday's $35.3 million Powerball jackpot. The Gaston construction worker said his two younger brothers turn 12 and 14 this year; his sister will be 15 and his older brother will be 21. Their mom turned 43 earlier this year. And the winning red ball number? As far as 30 just a lucky guess, he said Monday at a news conference announcing him as the
May 20, 2008, 9:40 pm - Lottery News

Stolen lottery ticket wins suspect a trip to jailNews Story
On Tuesday morning, three Orangeburg, South Carolina, police officers stopped a man accused of trying to cash in a stolen lottery ticket at the Corner Pantry store. The convenience store incident was caught on tape. I just think he was a dumb crook, explained cashier Wanda Lowden. He learned a tough lesson being taken down by three police officers after he tried to cash a stolen lottery ticket. And the police officers they just happened to be waiting in line. Talk about bad t
Apr 18, 2008, 9:54 am - Lottery News