How simple act of kindness led to $1.2 billion lotto win
A lucky lotto ticketholder has become a billionaire after winning a massive chunk of a $2.1 billion jackpot.
Lottery officials have announced a resident from the US state of South Carolina has stepped forward to claim the prize, won in an October draw, and has chosen the cash option – a one-time payment of nearly $1.2 billion.
It is the largest jackpot payout to a single winner in history.
The biggest jackpot before this most recent win in the US — a $2.24 billion Powerball prize won on January 13, 2016 — was split between buyers in three states.
The commission said the winner marvelled at every decision they made that got them to the right place at the right time to buy the ticket.
The winner allowed a fellow customer to make a Mega Millions lottery ticket purchase in front of the winner while in line at the store, the commission said.
“A simple act of kindness led to an amazing outcome,” the statement said.
South Carolina is one of a handful of states where winners can remain anonymous — a choice that winners often make to protect themselves from being targeted by criminals or unscrupulous people seeking money.
The winning ticket was sold between October 20 and October 23 of last year at the KC Mart convenience store in Simpsonville, a suburb of the South Carolina city of Greenville.
The convenience store owner, Chirag Patal, now gets a $70,000 commission for selling the winning ticket.
“It’s exciting. Good for me, good for him, her, whoever it is,” he exclaimed.
Mr Patel said he would use the money to pay for renovations to the store in Simpsonsville as well as some of the six other convenience stores he owns.
Theories about lotto winner
For months, South Carolina residents had speculated on why the winner had not stepped forward.
Some theorised the winner was on the run from police and feared a background check if he or she won.
Some thought the winner was so overwhelmed at seeing the winning numbers pop up that he or she died on the spot.
Others speculated the winning ticket had been purchased by an office pool and was now the subject of litigation.
The winner had until April 19 to claim the prize.
If it had gone unclaimed, the money would have gone back to the 44 states where the tickets were purchased.
The lottery commission’s statement gave no clue as to why the winner took his or her time to come forward.
“We are delighted that the winner is a South Carolinian and has come forward to claim this remarkable prize,” the lottery commission’s executive director Hogan Brown said.
“We respect the winner’s decision to remain anonymous and we will honour the winner’s wishes.”
