$800,000 lottery ticket expires Wednesday
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 forum
Arkansas Lottery hires away S.C. director
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 forum
S.C. lottery chief says Arkansas can clear $125M in first year
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 forum
Programming errors cause S.C. Lottery payout problems
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 forum
South Carolina lottery sales increase
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 forum
Teen wins $35 million Powerball lottery jackpot
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 forum
Stolen lottery ticket wins suspect a trip to jail
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 forum
Avid S.C. lottery player wins $1,000,025
A South Carolina man is a millionaire after buying a $10 scratch-off lottery ticket in Rock Hill.
Ervin Ratterree Junior of Catawba says he plays the lottery daily and has won quite a few times. But on Wednesday the 52-year-old won his biggest prize $1 million. I was shocked, Ratterree told the (Rock Hill) Herald. That's a dream come true.
Ratterree purchased the winning Cash Bonanza Riches instant ticket from the Lesslie Food Shop. Four $1 million top prizes are still out there, sai ...
Dec 17, 2007, 8:25 am - - Lottery News forum
Most lottery players never see big payoff
At a convenience store with a hilltop view of Williams-Brice Stadium, Jeff Connor scribbles five numbers on a Palmetto Cash 5 lottery slip.
If I've got 20 extra dollars, I'll put 10 percent or so into the lottery. Just like tithing, he said.
Connor estimates he spends $20 to $30 per week on lottery games for a very simple reason: I'd like to be a millionaire.
Meet the bread and butter for the Palmetto State's lotto.
They're residents who play regularly but have never won big. And ...
Dec 17, 2007, 8:14 am - - Lottery News forum
S.C. Lottery Director: Profit losses leveling off
Sales of South Carolina lottery tickets initially sank as gas prices climbed, but customers seem to have gotten used to paying more at the pump, the state's lottery director said Wednesday.
When gas prices climbed above $3 a gallon after Hurricane Katrina, lottery sales at South Carolina gas stations fell sharply, probably because customers felt that they had less pocket change after filling up. But a sample survey of retailers shows convenience store sales have since leveled, director Ernie ...
Oct 10, 2007, 10:17 pm - - Lottery News forum
