I won $200,000 on a $5 scratch-off lottery ticket I was about to throw away – but was forced to give up thousands

A LUCKY man in South Carolina won $200,000 on a lottery scratch-off, but almost threw away the winning ticket before finding out.

The man who wanted to stay anonymouswon the top prize in the Emerald Green Game, lottery officials said.

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He bought the winning ticket for $5 at a Speedway gas station in Ladson, about 20 miles northwest of Charleston.

He didn’t think he gained anything from the ticket he bought, lottery officials said.

Several days later, he picked up the note to throw it away, but fortunately, a family member took another look. That’s how he found out.

The winner told lottery officials that he wasn’t completely convinced he had won until lottery staff in Columbia verified the prize and handed him a check.

“It was unbelievable,” he said.

He plans to invest the prize money.

The man is extremely lucky, especially since the chances of winning $200,000 in the Emerald Green game are one in 960,000.

Lottery officials said there are no longer any major prizes in the game.

To sell the claimed ticket, the race track gas station received a $2,000 commission.

If the man had lost the ticket, lottery authorities said they would not be responsible for it.

“If you lose a ticket, it’s like losing money and it can’t be replaced. To protect yourself from theft, always SIGN YOUR WINNING TICKET as soon as you realize the ticket is a winner,” they said.

“Also, if you are not going to cash the ticket right away, fill out the entire ticket back. This may increase your chances of a lost ticket being returned to you,” they added.

HOW TO PLAY AN EMERALD GREEN GAME

The game is won by matching the winning numbers.

Lottery officials said if the corresponding number is green, it means the prize will be doubled.

If it says 5X, the player wins five times the prize.

“Reveal a “GREEN EMERALD” symbol and win all 15 PRIZES,” they said.

State officials have said they will withhold taxes on lottery winnings over $500, meaning in this case the winner will potentially lose thousands of dollars due to taxes.

The US wrote about other lottery winners.

For example, a gambler in New York won $3 million but lost about half of it in taxes.

Another New Yorker won $5 million but had to give up $2 million for taxes.

Responsible gaming

Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible player is someone who:

• Set time and monetary limits before playing
• Only games with money they can lose
• Never chase your losses
• Don’t play if you are upset, irritated or depressed
• National Problem Gaming Council – https://www.ncpgambling.org/
• Game Aware – www.begambleaware.org

For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700 or go to ncpgambling.org/chat