It has been more than three months since someone captured the Mega Millions grand prize, but a ticket that was recently sold in the Midlands was one number away from ending the streak, South Carolina Education Lottery officials said in a news release.
While the top Mega Millions payday is reaching record levels the person who narrowly missed out on that prize in the Dec. 17 drawing will be rewarded with a $40,000 jackpot, according to the release.
Now a search is underway for the winner.
The five-figure winning ticket was sold at the Quick Pantry gas station/convenience store at 1096 John C. Calhoun Drive in Orangeburg.
The winning numbers from the Dec. 17 Mega Millions drawing were 56, 66, 67, 68, 69 and Megaball: 18.
The winning ticket matched four white ball numbers and the gold Megaball number, lottery officials said. The Megaplier number was 4, and because the player purchased that additional option their prize was quadrupled from $10,000 to $40,000, officials said.
The odds of matching four white balls and the gold Megaball are 1-in-931,001, according to the release.
The winner has 180 days to claim the prize, according to lottery officials.
The winner will be allowed to retain some privacy, as South Carolina is one of 11 states — along with Arizona, Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Texas and Virginia — that allow lottery winners to remain anonymous.
“Sign the back of your ticket and put it in a safe location until you’re ready to come forward to claim the prize,” lottery officials said.
For complete information on claiming prizes, go to sceducationlottery.com.
The convenience store will receive a commission for selling the winning ticket, when it is turned into lottery officials.
Overall, there was no grand prize winner last Friday, and the jackpot for Tuesday night’s Mega Millions drawing has risen to $944 million.
Tickets are $2, and could cost more with additional options.
The odds of winning Mega Million’s grand prize are 1-in-302,575,350.
