Man wins SC lottery prize following lead of customer in line ahead of him, officials say

A man’s last-second decision to buy a lottery ticket at the liquor store proved to be a smart move when he won a top prize, according to the South Carolina Education Lottery.

“When a Lowcountry man saw the customer in front of him in line buy a lottery ticket, he decided to get one, too,” lottery officials said in an April 25 news release.

The $5 Double Sided Dollars Extra Play ticket was worth $200,000, which is the biggest prize offered in the scratch-off game.

Odds of winning are 1-in-750,000, lottery officials say.

“It was crazy,” the winner said in the release. “It was like an outer body experience.”

His name was not released. He said he picked the $5 Double Sided Dollars game to play because it’s also what the customer in line ahead of him picked.

The ticket was purchased at the Happy Liquor Store on Rivers Avenue in North Charleston, which gets a $2,000 commission for selling a winning ticket, officials said. North Charleston is about a 105-mile drive southeast from Columbia.

“I’m using it to start a business,” the winner said.

The type of business was not disclosed.