A winning Mega Millions ticket was sold at convenience store in SC. Check your numbers

Nobody has won the Mega Millions grand prize in months, but someone who recently bought a ticket in South Carolina was one number shy of taking home a $393 million jackpot.

A ticket purchased at a gas station/convenience store in the Columbia area 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 $10,000 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 Ballentine C Mart at 1500 Dutch Fork Road, officials said. That’s in Irmo, in the area between Lake Murray and Interstate 26.

The winning numbers from the May 17 Mega Millions drawing were 8, 17, 40, 60, 70 and Megaball: 3.

The winning ticket matched four white ball numbers and the gold Megaball number, lottery officials said.

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 Ballentine C Mart will receive a commission for selling the winning ticket, when it is turned into lottery officials.

In addition to the $10,000 winning game, more than 10,000 other players in South Carolina won prizes in the May 17 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 $421 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.