SC lottery regulars, new players buying tickets as Powerball reaches record payout

Dixie Beam is among many with a “whole lot of prayers” directed toward the outcome of Saturday’s $800 million Powerball drawing.

No one has matched all six Powerball numbers for the past 18 consecutive drawings. The streak has pushed the jackpot to a record level, and sales could increase the payout even more before Saturday’s drawing.

Beam, a York resident who has been playing the lottery in South Carolina since August 2002, has her favorite numbers. She has won with her numbers a couple of times. The biggest prize has been $100, which she has won several times, Beam said.

Beam will play her favorite numbers, but will also let the computer choose the numbers in hopes of increasing her chances of winning. Most people let the computer make the “quick picks” when playing Powerball, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association, which administers Powerball.

The chance of winning Saturday is 1 in 292.2 million. The lottery is played in 44 states including South Carolina and North Carolina. The estimated cash payout is $496 million, but drops to $378.7 million when the federal government takes its automatic 25 percent cut.

Saturday’s jackpot shattered the record previously set by Mega Millions, when a $656 million jackpot captivated the nation in March 2012. Powerball’s previous record was a $590 million jackpot won in May of 2013.

Retailers report that lottery sales are surging because of the record Powerball jackpot. Tickets cost $2, and in South Carolina must be purchased by 9:59 p.m. for Saturday’s 10:59 p.m. drawing.

Miller’s Produce in the Fort Mill area near the state line has been among the top sellers of lottery tickets each year. The Powerball jackpot boosted sales and store clerks even encouraged people to buy a lottery ticket.

Randy Blount was one of those encouraged to buy a ticket by the store clerk, said, “I would retire and invest back into the community. ... I would make sure my kids (age 16 and 17) don’t ever have to work.”

The Kangaroo Express on the J.A. Cochran Bypass in Chester has had more more than $3,000 in single-day lottery sales this week, said Wilma Carter, who has worked at the convenience store for more than seven years.

Carter said her regular customers are buying Powerball tickets, but most of her sales are to new people drawn by the record jackpot.

Patrons of the Kangaroo Express have been lucky with the lottery. Carter sold the winning ticket for a man who won $5 million in the Mega Million lottery in November.

The identity of the Mega Million winner was not disclosed by S.C. lottery officials. But Carter knew who purchased the ticket and she did get a “big hug” the next time he came by the store, she said.

Chester County has seen several big lottery winners recently. In January, someone purchased a winning $1 million Powerball ticket from the Kushi Food Mart, also on the J.A. Cochran Bypass. In 2013, a Chester County man, whose identity was not released, won $2 million playing Powerball with a ticket from the Pantry Express #430 on Columbia Street.

In York County, a Clover convenience store near the state line in August sold a winning $1 million Mega Millions ticket. Store owner Liz Coyle said that ticket resulted in a brief spike in sales because people wanted to come to “the lucky store.”

With the Powerball jackpot at more than $800 million, the Clover store is seeing a steady line of people wanting to buy lottery tickets, Coyle said.

But, “it is not increasing our sales,” Coyle said, adding it is likely costing them more as the store has had to add extra people to deal with lottery-only patrons.

“People have never seen a lottery at this level and everyone wants to get a piece of it,” Coyle said.

In February 2014, the Quik Trip, 4020 Charlotte Highway near Clover, sold a $2 million Powerball ticket to a South Carolina couple, according to lottery officials. That Powerball ticket came within one number of winning the $215 million jackpot, matching all five white ball numbers drawn. In March 2014, a York store sold a scratch-off ticket worth $1 million.

Winning Powerball numbers will be drawn 10:59 p.m. Saturday. Winners have 180 days to claim their prize. If the winner is from South Carolina, state lottery laws apply, giving the winner the option of keeping his or her identity secret, said state lottery officials.

Beam said she won’t check her numbers until several days after the drawing when she makes the round of the places that sell lottery tickets in York. She asks the stores for the list of the winning numbers.

Sarah Whitener of Chester will be watching the numbers. “I won’t be getting my hopes up, but if it happens ...” she said, leaving the sentence unfinished, but with a big smile.

Carter, who sold the winning $5 million Mega Millions ticket in Chester, also will be checking the Powerball results. Like Beam, she will be playing her special numbers, as well as ones generated by the computer.

Her advice for a possible winner is “do the right thing,” and not be spoiled by the new-found wealth. If she were to win, Carter said she would do something to give back to the children of Chester who don’t have many recreational opportunities.

“I want to help the people that need help,” she said.

This story was originally published January 8, 2016 at 12:19 PM with the headline "SC lottery regulars, new players buying tickets as Powerball reaches record payout."