Powerball Winner of $400 Million Jackpot in SC Lottery to 'Remain Private'?
The Powerball winner of almost $400 million is still a mystery to officials. The lucky ticket with the Powerball numbers that won was sold Wednesday at Murphy Express USA convenience store in Lexington, South Carolina, and because of the state's anonymity laws, the winner may never come forward.
The Powerball numbers on the winning ticket were 7-10-22-32-35, with a Powerball number of 19. The jackpot is worth $399.4 million, which means it's the biggest winning ticket sold in South Carolina and the fourth highest in the history of the game.
Unlike many other states that require the winner to come forward publicly at a press conference, South Carolina permits the winner to stay a secret. For manager of the Murphy's Express Keith Wedmore, it meant that when he was notified of the winning ticket being sold, all he could legally do was put a sign at the store window telling players to check their ticket numbers.
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"I'm curious, but to me, they have a right to remain private. We just want to be decent about it," Wedmore told USA Today. Even though he said that the security cameras probably picked up who bought one of the 356 tickets sold, the manager said he won't be checking the tapes.
"I hope it's someone local and a regular, but we have a lot of people who come in passing through on Interstate 20," Wedmore explained.
The Powerball jackpot had been rolling over since Aug. 11, with it growing 11 times after no one bought the winning ticket. The winner has beaten the odds- 1 in 175r a million- but only if they realize they have the winning ticket. If so, they can opt for $223.3 million in a lump sum or a $13 million annuity for 29 years. Without someone claiming the money, officials remain unsure.
"This is a life changing event for the winner- or winners," state lottery director Paula Harper Bethea said. "There are a lot of zeroes in the amount of money this person or persons are going to get, and we want them to come at the right time after they have had what they need to make sure that this is a good situation for them."
