News writer
Somewhere hidden within the tiny community of Gable, South Carolina—about 60 miles southeast of Columbia, with a population of less than 1,000—is a white slip of paper worth an enormous amount of money.
More than three months ago, in the middle of October, one lucky South Carolinian purchased a Powerball ticket at an Exxon gas station in Gable. When the balls were picked at the state's drawing on October 14, that ticket matched the first five numbers: 14, 16, 42, 48, 64. Though it missed the Powerball number (14)—getting all six right would have netted someone a $23 million jackpot prize—a ticket with five matching numbers was still worth $1 million. It seemed like an incredible stroke of fortune for the unsuspecting Gable resident who had just landed a life-altering sum of money. As it would turn out, however, it wasn't quite that simple.
Weeks went by without anybody claiming the ticket. Then months. As of January 31, South Carolina Lottery officials had yet to see somebody come forward to claim the $1 million ticket, which beat 1 in 11.6 million odds to hit on five of the drawing's six numbers. Which, of course, begs a simple question: why isn't the mystery winner coming forward to capture their incredible windfall?
Unraveling the mystery of unclaimed tickets
According to lottery expert Brett Jacobson, who compiles data from every lottery in the U.S., billions of dollars in lottery winnings go unclaimed every year. Jacobson found that, in fiscal year 2017 alone, there were 167 prizes worth at least $1 million that were not redeemed by their respective winners. The reasoning behind this shocking level of lost opportunity is manifold. While it's entirely possible that some individuals lose, misplace, or forget about their tickets altogether, Jacobson also believes that many people simply write off their tickets once they learn that nobody won the jackpot or the winner came from out of state. Secondary prizes, in other words, are being woefully overlooked, with regular, everyday lottery players literally paying a staggering price.
There is, however, still hope for the Clarendon County resident who struck gold and then left it in the mine. According to the South Carolina Education Lottery, players have 180 days starting from the date of the drawing to claim their prize. That means that this winner has until Thursday, April 11, to accept their $1 million before the ticket expires.
For now, though, it remains a small-town mystery in the form of a Powerball play slip—one that just about everyone would love to see solved.
South Carolina's Lottery proceeds
The South Carolina Lottery Commission saw $2.4 billion in total ticket sales from its various lottery games in fiscal year 2023. Of that total, $1.6 billion was directly transferred to winners in the form of prize money, and nearly $170 million went to commissions for lottery retailers in the state. After advertising and operating expenses—which, according to the Lottery Commission's website, are “among the lowest of any lottery in the country with annual sales under $4 billion”—that left the agency with nearly $600 million dollars. The entirety of these profits were directed to the South Carolina education system in the form of scholarships, grants, and other initiatives benefiting Palmetto State students.
