‘Do the right thing’: Man turns in lost $500 lottery ticket, wins $586K jackpot weeks later

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WMBF/Gray News) - A South Carolina man is enjoying some good karma when it comes to hitting a lottery jackpot.

According to the South Carolina Education Lottery, it started after a customer returned a $500 winning Pick 3 ticket that he found on the floor at a Myrtle Beach gas station.

Weeks later, the man bought a Palmetto Cash 5 ticket at the same store that ended up matching all five numbers drawn in the April 25 drawing to win the $586,000 jackpot.

“The owner was so grateful to get the ticket back that I knew I was going to hit the lottery after that,” the lucky winner said. “I just knew it.”

Lottery officials said the odds of winning the Palmetto Cash 5 jackpot are 1 in 850,668.

“I’ve been lucky in life and can use this prize to help some people,” the lottery customer shared. “And maybe my story will encourage others to do the right thing.”