Lottery winner can rest easy and enjoy life a little more

By Kate Northrop

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. — One thing that is certain for a South Carolina winner of a $500,000 lottery prize is that working overtime will no longer be a necessity.

A South Carolina Lottery player is grateful for a $500,000 scratch-off prize since it means he won't have to put extra hours in at work.

"No more overtime," he told the Lottery.

After finishing up at work, the anonymous player decided he was in the mood for some chicken. However, he made a quick stop at the Fuel Express on N Highway 52 in Moncks Corner and bought a $10 scratch-off ticket from the "200X" instant game. He took it outside and went back to his car to play.

He thought what was printed on the ticket could not have possibly been right, so he took it back inside the store to show an employee, who in turn gave him some important advice.

"The retailer looked at the ticket and told me to go home and not tell anyone," the player said in a press release.

However, there was one person he absolutely had to tell about his half-million fortune — his wife.

"I cried, and I don't cry," the Lowcountry resident said. "I still don't think it has hit her yet that we won."

Thanks to the lottery prize, he'll be able to quit the long hours at work and pay off his house. On top of that, the couple can work at a comfortable pace, all the while enjoying life.

The lucky winner beat the odds of 1 in 800,000 to take home the last remaining $500,000 top prize in the "200X" game. Now that he has claimed his prize, the Lottery announced that the game has been discontinued and is no longer available for purchase.

The Fuel Express in Moncks Corner is also coming out on top as a winner, having received a $5,000 bonus commission for selling the winning ticket.