Woman in ‘shock’ after winning South Carolina lottery decides to keep it secret

A woman had to double check she wasn’t seeing things when her South Carolina lottery ticket appeared to show she had won.

Now, she plans to keep her top prize a secret.

The Lowcountry woman turned a $3 Cosmic Crossword scratch-off ticket into a $75,000 windfall, the South Carolina Education Lottery announced July 11.

“I was in disbelief and shock,” she told lottery officials.

The lucky winner bought her ticket at a Saint George convenience store in Dorchester County, according to lottery officials.

When she scratched her ticket, it showed that she had beaten the 1-in-440,000 odds to win one of six top prizes in the game, results show.

To really confirm she had won, she downloaded the South Carolina Education Lottery app to check her ticket, then she went to a lottery retailer and scanned it there as well, officials said.

Both methods led to the same conclusion: She had won big. But she resolved not to tell anyone.

She told lottery officials she plans to put the money into her savings.

All the top prizes in the scratch-off game have been claimed, and Cosmic Crossword tickets are no longer being sold, records show.

Saint George is about a 50-mile drive northwest from Charleston.

This story was originally published July 11, 2025 at 5:49 PM with the headline "Woman in ‘shock’ after winning South Carolina lottery decides to keep it secret."