Dog lover ‘couldn’t resist’ lottery ticket with photo of a pup — and it paid off in SC
A dog lover ”couldn’t resist” buying a lottery ticket featuring a pup — found herself a winner in South Carolina.
The woman was at a convenience store when she saw a photo of a dog on a scratch-off and tried her luck, the S.C. Education Lottery said Tuesday.
When she checked the ticket, officials said, she was shocked to learn it was worth $30,000.
“No way,” the woman told the S.C. Education Lottery. “No way.”
But the prize she won was very real, beating 1-in-480,000 odds. She kept 20,700 after taxes, officials said.
The woman, who wasn’t identified in the news release, got the windfall after visiting a Circle K store in Marion, roughly 45 miles northwest of Myrtle Beach. While there, she purchased a ticket for Happy Pawlidays, a game with a holiday theme.
The game launched after the S.C. Education Lottery put out a call for pet pictures.
“The lottery asked South Carolina dog owners to submit a photo of their furry friend for a chance to appear on the scratch-off back in the spring,” spokesperson Holli Armstrong told McClatchy News in an email. “The Lottery received thousands of photos.”
Of the nine dogs that received the most votes in the contest, a Springer Spaniel named Belle is from the same town where the winning $30,000 ticket was sold.
It’s not the first time a lottery player hit the jackpot after buying a ticket that recently hit stores.
On Monday, officials said a North Carolina trucker was in disbelief after winning the first $100,000 prize in a new game.
Also in North Carolina, a woman who enjoys playing new games scored $250,000, McClatchy News reported in December.
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This story was originally published October 13, 2021 at 9:32 AM with the headline "Dog lover ‘couldn’t resist’ lottery ticket with photo of a pup — and it paid off in SC."
