A winning Mega Millions game was sold at a Publix in SC. Check your lottery tickets

Noah Feit
·2 min read
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The Mega Millions grand prize continues to rise, but someone who recently bought a ticket at a grocery store in South Carolina nearly captured a nine-figure jackpot.

A ticket purchased at a Publix grocery store in Lexington before last Friday’s drawing was one number shy of winning the game’s grand prize, South Carolina Education Lottery officials said Monday in a news release.

For coming so close, the ticket buyer will receive a $20,000 payday, according to the release.

Now the search is underway for the winner.

What turned out to be the five-figure winning ticket was sold at the Publix supermarket at 5441 Platt Springs Road, officials said. That’s near the intersection with South Lake Drive.

The winning numbers from the April 12 Mega Millions drawing were 1, 12, 14, 18, 66 and Megaball: 16.

The winning ticket matched four white ball numbers and the gold Megaball number, lottery officials said. Because “2” was the Megaplier number that was drawn, the prize was doubled for the $20,000 jackpot.

The odds of matching four white balls and the gold Megaball are 1-in-931,001, according to the release.

The winner has 180 days to claim the prize, according to lottery officials.

The winner will be allowed to retain some privacy, as South Carolina is one of 11 states — along with Arizona, Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Texas and Virginia — that allow lottery winners to remain anonymous.

“Sign the back of your ticket and put it in a safe location until you’re ready to come forward to claim the prize,” lottery officials said.

For complete information on claiming prizes, go to sceducationlottery.com.

The Publix on Platt Springs Road in Lexington will receive a commission for selling the winning ticket, when it is turned into lottery officials.

Another $20,000 winning ticket from last Friday’s Mega Millions drawing was sold in Chesnee, according to the release. The game purchased at the Corner Stop on Hampton Street also matched four white ball numbers and the gold Megaball number, lottery officials said.

In addition to the pair of $20,000 winning games, more than 8,000 other players in South Carolina won prizes in the April 12 drawing, according to the release.

Because there was no grand prize winner last week, the jackpot for Tuesday night’s Mega Millions drawing has risen to $148 million.

Tickets are $2, and could cost more with additional options.

The odds of winning Mega Million’s grand prize are 1-in-302,575,350.