SC Education Lottery – SC Lottery
South Carolina Lottery – SC Lotto
The South Carolina Education Lottery was created on June 13th 2001 after legislation was passed – having originally been put to the vote the previous November – and received an overwhelming “Yes” from the State’s citizens – authorizing a lottery to be operated within South Carolina.
The SC Lottery is operated by the South Carolina State government who oversee the running and organization of all of the Right from when the very first South Carolina Lotto ticket was sold back on January 7th 2002 – the aim of the SC Lottery was to raise funds for the area of education within the State at the same time as providing entertaining lottery games within the State. This is still the case today and the South Carolina Lottery can proudly claim to be one of the few USA Lottery companies that puts all of its profits into state education. The South Carolina Education Lottery – SCEL – is based in Columbia, SC.
SC Education Lottery – Overview
The SC Education Lottery sells lottery tickets from its network of over 3500 authorized SC Lottery retailers throughout the state and has its Headquarters at 1333 Main Street, 4th Floor Columbia, S.C. 29201. In addition to the South Carolina Education Lottery Headquarters in Columbia there are also 3 Regional Offices/Claim Centers from where you can claim your SC Lotto winnings – these are based at Columbia, Greenville and Mt.Pleasant in the Charleston area. The SC Education Lottery also takes part in 2 of the biggest lottery games in the world – the huge multi-state USA Lottery games Mega Millions and Powerball which we will be looking into in much greater detail. We will be looking at the various SC Lotto games below – how these games work and who can play them – as well as delving into some of the more detailed history of the South Carolina State Lottery in more detail.
SC Education Lottery – Games
There are numerous games that are offered by the SC Education Lottery including two of the largest world lotteries – the Mega Millions and Powerball. We will first of all take a look at these multi-state USA Lottery games – that the SC Lottery offers in conjunction with the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) and the Mega Millions Consortium – and later move on to the other SC Education Lottery games that are available. Currently – the games offered by the South Carolina State Lottery that it is possible for players anywhere in the world to buy lottery tickets online for are these two huge US Lotteries – the Mega Millions and Powerball. Other games offered by the South Carolina Education Lottery that you can play in-state are noted further down the page – if any of these SC Lotto games become available to a wider audience at a later date – we will be writing about it here.
SC Powerball
Powerball is a Multi-State USA Lottery that is run & syndicated across the USA by the MUSL – Multi State Lottery Association – and is well known as one of the largest lottery games in the world having produced a record jackpot of an incredible US$ 365 Million. This sum is the largest lottery jackpot ever won to date on a single lottery ticket. The very first Powerball draw took place on April 22nd 1992 with 16 USA Lottery companies – who were all members of the MUSL – taking part after the game changed its format and name from Lotto America which had originally started on February 13th 1988.
SC Powerball – Overview
The SC Education Lottery is 1 of 44 US State Lotteries & District Lotteries that offer the Powerball game – in this case the SC Powerball – as part of its overall portfolio of lottery games. The South Carolina Powerball Lottery was first sold on October 5th 2002 when the SE Education Lottery became the 25th member to join the MUSL – Multi State Lottery Association – who run & syndicate the game across the USA.
SC Powerball – How It Works
The South Carolina Powerball works in the same way as the Powerball game works in all the States and Districts in the US that offer the game. Jackpots start off at US$ 20 Million and ROLLOVER after each draw when the top prize is not won – making for some massive jackpot figures. 6 numbers are drawn in total for the Powerball SC game from 2 separate drawing machines – first of all 5 numbers from 59 white balls are drawn followed by 1 number (the POWERball) from 39 red balls. Draws for the Powerball South Carolina take place twice every week on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10.59pm EST. In addition to the 6 main Powerball numbers drawn – a further number is drawn – using a Random Number Generator…the Powerball POWERPLAY number…
POWERPLAY…
This separate Powerball POWERPLAY number drawn will be either 2, 3, 4, 5 and occasionally number 10 – and is there to give players of the SC Powerball a chance to increase their winnings on all levels of the prize structure apart from the South Carolina Lottery Powerball jackpot itself. With Powerball POWER PLAY – you are able to multiply your winnings on these levels by 2x, 3x, 4x or 5x – greatly increasing the amount you can walk away with. During special promotions each year – the Powerball POWERPLAY multiplier will be 10x – allowing SC Education Lottery players to increase their Powerball winnings by an incredible 10 times! So, for just an extra dollar – you can choose to increase your South Carolina Lottery Powerball winnings on all levels except the jackpot – by adding the Power Ball POWER PLAY option when playing. Click Here to Play POWERBALL Now
SC Powerball Results
With the SC Powerball being drawn every week on both Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10.59pm EST there are various ways you can check the Powerball winning numbers. You can find the latest SC Powerball results at all South Carolina State Lottery retailers, from SC Lottery terminals and here online at Global Lottery Review where you can also look up previous SC Powerball results. The South Carolina Powerball results and Powerball winning numbers are also broadcast on the following television channels throughout the state of South Carolina…
WCSC/LIVE5
SC Powerball – Odds of Winning
There are 9 separate ways that you can win on this SC Education Lottery game providing a great chance to win something on the SC Powerball. Odds range from 1 in 195.24 million for correctly matching all the South Carolina Lottery Powerball winning numbers right down to 1 in 61 for matching just 1 number correctly. Overall odds of winning any prize on the Powerball SC are just 1 in 35. See the Powerball Odds and Prizes calculation table on the separate page on the South Carolina Powerball for a complete list of odds and prizes for this game.
SC Mega Millions
The Mega Millions is a Multi-State USA Lottery that is run and operated by the Mega Millions Consortium – who administer and syndicate the game across the USA and is one of the largest lottery games in the world – having produced a massive world record jackpot of an incredible US$ 390 Million. This record jackpot was shared between 2 Mega Millions winners from New Jersey and Georgia. The very first Mega Millions draw took place on May 17th 2002 with 6 USA Lottery companies taking part who were all members of the Mega Millions Consortium. The game had changed its name and format from the Big Game which had started on August 31st 1996. Upon this change – 2 further State Lotteries joined and many more were to follow.
SC Mega Millions – Overview
The SC Education Lottery – SCEL – is 1 of 42 US State Lotteries & District Lotteries that offer the Mega Millions – in this case the SC Mega Millions – as part of its overall portfolio of lottery games. The South Carolina Mega Millions was first sold on January 31st 2010 when the Multi State Lottery Association (MUSL) who run the Powerball game – of which the SC Lottery is a member – entered into a cross-selling agreement with the Mega Millions consortium – allowing the sales of Mega Millions in Powerball states and Powerball in Mega Millions states.
SC Mega Millions – How It Works
The SC Mega Millions works in exactly the same way as the Mega Millions game works in all the States and Districts in the USA that offer the game. Jackpots start off at US$ 12 Million and ROLLOVER after each draw when the top prize is not won – making for some enormous jackpot figures that can be won on the South Carolina Lottery Mega Millions. 6 numbers are drawn in total for the South Carolina Mega Millions – from 2 separate drawing machines – firstly 5 numbers from 56 white balls are drawn and then 1 number (the MEGAball) from 46 gold balls. Draws for the SC Mega Millions take place twice every week on Tuesdays and Fridays at 11.00pm EST. In addition to the 6 main Mega Millions numbers drawn – a further number is drawn – using a Random Number Generator…the MEGAPLIER number…
MEGAPLIER…
This separate MEGAPLIER number drawn will be either 2, 3 or 4 – and is there to give players of the SC Mega Millions a chance to increase their winnings on all levels of the prize structure apart from the SC Mega Millions jackpot itself. With Mega Millions MEGAPLIER – you are able to multiply your winnings on these levels by 2x, 3x or 4x – greatly increasing the amount you can walk away with.
If you match the 5 main Mega Millions numbers playing with the MEGAPLIER add-on – and a MEGAPLIER number of 4 is drawn – the second tier prize of
So, for just an extra dollar – you can choose to increase your South Carolina Mega Millions winnings on all levels except the jackpot – by adding the 
SC Mega Millions Results
With the South Carolina Mega Millions being drawn every week on both Tuesdays and Fridays at 11.00pm EST there are numerous ways you can check the Mega Millions winning numbers. You can find the latest SC Mega Millions results from any South Carolina Lottery retailer, from SC Lottery terminals and here online at Global Lottery Review where you can also look up previous SC Mega Millions results. The SC Mega Millions winning numbers are also broadcast on the following Television Channels in the State of South Carolina…
WCSC/LIVE5
SC Mega Millions – Odds of Winning
There are 9 separate ways that you can win on this SC Education Lottery game providing a great chance to win something on the SC Mega Millions. Odds range from 1 in 175.71 million for correctly matching all the SC Mega Millions winning numbers right down to 1 in 75 for matching just 1 number correctly. Overall odds of winning any prize on the Mega Millions SC are just 1 in 39. See the Mega Millions Odds and Prizes calculation table on the separate South Carolina Mega Millions page for a complete list of odds and prizes.
Other South Carolina Lottery Games…
In addition to the SC Powerball and SC Mega Millions which can be played from anywhere in the world – the SC Education Lottery also offers various other lotto games which can be played within South Carolina itself like – Palmetto CASH 5, PICK 3, PICK 4 and numerous SC Lotto Instant Scratch-Offs. If any of these other SC Lotto games become available to a wider audience outside of South Carolina at a later date we will write about it here.
South Carolina Lottery – Who Can Play?
In the past – you would have had to buy your lottery ticket in the state of South Carolina itself to take part in any of the South Carolina State Lottery games – including the SC Powerball and SC Mega Millions. These days though – you can play both the Mega Millions Online and the Powerball Online from anywhere in the world due to the presence of accredited and fully authorized online lottery ticket sales companies like TheLotter.com – allowing you to play wherever you’re based. So if you live outside of South Carolina or the USA but wish to play either the Powerball or Mega Millions this is simple to do using the right lottery ticket sales companies where you can quickly and easily buy lottery tickets online – and save yourself a fair amount of time too – allowing you to play no matter where you live. The South Carolina Lottery Commission requires all players to be a minimum of 18 years of age before purchasing any SC Lotto tickets including tickets for the SC Mega Millions and SC Powerball.
SC Lottery – How Are Prizes Paid?
If you have won either an SC Powerball or SC Mega Millions jackpot – you will be able to claim your prize as either a cash lump sum or as an annuity payment – you will need to make this choice within 60 days of making your claim. If you choose the annuity option – your SC Education Lottery winnings will be paid to you annually over a 26 year period for the SC Mega Millions and for the SC Powerball – over a 29 year period. For all SC Education Lottery prizes you will have either 180 days from the date of the draw – or 90 days from the official end of game – to make your claim before your SC Lotto ticket will expire. If your win on the South Carolina Lottery is up to US$ 500 – you will be able to claim your winnings from any SC Education Lottery retailer. If you’ve had an SC Lotto win of between US$ 501 and US$ 100,000 – you will need to claim your prize by mail using a South Carolina Education Lottery claim form – or from one of the regional Claim Centers. If you’ve had a win of between US$ 100,000 and US$ 1.5 Million – you will need to claim your prize in person at one of the South Carolina Education Lottery offices in Columbia, Greenville or Mt.Pleasant. If you’ve been lucky enough to win more than US$ 1.5 Million with the SC Lottery – you will need to make your claim in person at the Columbia Claim Center. These details are all taken care for you if you play lottery online with one of the trusted and genuine online lottery ticket sale companies such as TheLotter as it is their job to make your transaction a seamless process – collecting your winnings and sending them directly to you.
South Carolina Lottery Timeline – History 2000 In November – a referendum is held in South Carolina – to see whether a lottery should be formed within the state to help fund the needs of education. This referendum results in the approval of the creation of the South Carolina Education Lottery – SCEL. 2001 June 13th sees the approval of the South Carolina Education Lottery Act 59 – which formally creates the South Carolina Lottery Commission and the South Carolina Education Lottery – SCEL. 2002 January 7th sees the SC Education Lottery begin selling lottery tickets for its first South Carolina Lottery games. All Instant Ticket games – SCENIC S.C., CAROLINA RICHES, THE LOGO GAME and 3 TIMES LUCKY – with top prizes of US$ 100,000. In February – the SC Education Lottery brings out 2 further Instant Ticket games – BONUS BUCKS and SOLID GOLD – with top prizes of US$ 25,000. The first SC Education Lottery online numbers game is launched on March 7th – PICK 3. This nightly game is to be drawn each evening at 6.59pm EST in the studios of the South Carolina Education Lottery with players also being able to catch the SC Lottery results on television with WLTX in Columbia, WSPA in Greenville, WCBD in Charleston and WPDE/WWBM in Florence/Myrtle Beach. On April 23rd sees the Multi-State lottery Association (MUSL) attend a regular SC Education Lottery meeting – prior to the South Carolina Lottery Commission deciding whether to join the MUSL in the selling of its national POWERBALL game. On the same day – the SC Education Lottery vote to submit an application to join the MUSL – Multi-State Lottery Association. The SC Education Lottery introduces two new Instant Scratch-Off games on June 4th – BIG BANG BUCKS costing US$ 2 and CRAZY 8’s costing US 1. A new online numbers game is introduced by the SC Education Lottery on June 17th – CAROLINA 5. (Today this game is called PALMETTO CASH 5). Top prize is US$ 100,000 and the game uses a 5/36 matrix. Draws will be held every Friday at 11pm EST. The first US$ 100,000 top prize on the CAROLINA 5 is won on June 21st by an SC Education Lottery from Columbia. Two new Instant Scratch-Off tickets are put on sale by the SC Education Lottery on July 2nd – FIRE-N-ICE – costing US$ 2 and with a US$ 10,000 top prize. Also the HEADS OR TAILS costing US$ 1 which has a top prize of US$ 500. The second CAROLINA 5 top prize of US$ 100,000 is won by an SC Education Lottery player on July 19th August 6th sees the SC Education Lottery introduce 3 more Instant Scrath-Off tickets – SHARK CASH with a top prize of US$ 2,000 – 7-2-21 costing US$ 2 and with a US$ 21,000 top prize – and PIGSKIN PLAYOFF with a top prize of US$ 14,000. The SC Education Lottery brings out 3 more Instant Games on September 3rd – MAGIC NUMBERS costing US$ 1 and with a top prize of US$ 4,000 – the QUEEN OF HEARTS which costs US$ 2 and has a US$ 10,000 top prize and RED HOT CASH costing US$ 2 with a top prize of US$ 10,000. October 5th sees the SC Education Lottery become the 31st member of the Multi-State Lottery Association – MUSL – and the sales of the very first POWERBALL tickets in South Carolina. The first South Carolina POWERBALL draw takes place on October 9th at 11.00pm EST. November sees the SC Education Lottery commission a demographic study of existing and potential lottery players within the State of South Carolina. The study is carried out by market research company – MarketSearch Corporation. Four new Instant Scratch-Off tickets are put on sale by the SC Education Lottery on November 4th – HOLIDAY TREASURES at US$ 1 with a US$ 2,000 top prize, STOCKING STUFFER at US$ 2 with a top prize of US$ 25,000, HOLIDAY JACKPOT at US$ 5 with a US$ 100,000 top prize and costing US$ 3 CLASSIC BINGO with a top prize of US$ 30,000. 2003 Three new Instant Scratch-Offs are introduced by the SC Education Lottery on January 7th – WILD CARD costing US$ 1 and with a US$ 4,000 top prize, TRIPLE 3 TIMES LUCKY costing US$ 2 and with a US$ 9,000 top prize and also the 1st ANNIVERSARY CAROLINA RICHES with a US$ 1,000 top prize. A new online game is introduced by the SC Education lottery on January 27th – PICK 4. Players of the PICK 4 can win up to US$ 5,000 every night. A US$ 5 Instant Scratch-Off is introduced by the SC Education Lottery on April 1st when the SC Lottery bring out CASH EXPLOSION which has a top prize of US$ 75,000. May 8th sees the very first South Carolina POWERBALL jackpot win take place when an SC Powerball ticket is purchased in Fort Mill, York. Anthony and Monica Wilson from Charlotte, N.C., win a staggering US$ 88.7 Million – the biggest SC Education Lottery win to date. An extra weekly draw is introduced by the SC Education Lottery to the CAROLINA 5 game on May 13th. Draws will now take place on Tuesdays each week as well as Fridays. Three new Instant Scratch-Off games are introduced by the SC Education Lottery on June 3rd – CASINO ACTION that offers a top prize of US$ 7,000, at US$ 1 – JUNIOR JUMBO BUCKS costing with a US$ 10,000 top prize and at US$ 2 – MATCH CARD 2 with a top prize of US$ 15,000. 2004 January 1st sees the second South Carolina POWERBALL jackpot win occur when Norman and DeAnna Shue win US$ 110.75 Million – sharing the jackpot of US$ 221.5 Million with another lucky winning ticket. A third drawing is introduced to the CAROLINA 5 game by the South Carolina Lottery on March 1st. Draws will now take place every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the new draw time of 6.59pm. The SC Education Lottery introduced four new Instant Scratch-Off games on May 4th – CAROLINA PAYOUT costing US$ 10 a ticket, CASH EXPLOSION (2nd edition) at US$ 5 a ticket, the US$ 2 BIG BANG BOOM and a US$ 1 game – BEACH MUSIC CASH. A third SC POWERBALL jackpot win occurs on June 27th when an SC Education Lottery ticket for the US$ 65.8 Million jackpot is purchased in South Carolina. On September 1st – the SC Education Lottery brings out its 100th Instant Scratch-Off game – CAROLINA SUPER CA$H. Top prize is US$ 25,000 and tickets cost US$ 2. 2005 From August 28th – the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) – make improvements to the POWERBALL game. The jackpot will now begin at a more exciting US$ 15 Million instead of US$ 10 Million and will rollover each time it is not won by an increased US$ 5 Million per draw. An option of taking jackpot winnings as a cash lump sum is added and payments for the annuity option will now increase year on year. Second prizes – for matching the 5 white ball numbers – are doubled to US$ 200,000 and with the option of playing with the POWERPLAY feature – players can now increase their winnings up to US$ 1 Million. 2006 A world record POWERBALL jackpot of an incredible US$ 365 Million is won by a group of Nebraska factory workers following the drawing on February 18th. This still stands as the largest lottery jackpot won in the world to date on a single lottery ticket. The SC Education Lottery introduces its first MILLIONAIRE RAFFLE game on October 30th. Tickets cost US$ 10 and the draw will take place in January. The top prize is, of course, US$ 1 Million. 2007 Draws for the PALMETTO CASH 5 – (formerly the CAROLINA 5) – are increased in frequency by the SC Education Lottery from 3 nights to 5 nights every week (Monday to Friday) in 2007. January 8th sees the SC Lottery announce its first 4 MILLIONAIRE RAFFLE jackpot winners. The fourth SC POWERBALL jackpot is won on April 4th when Dick and Colleen Sandlin scoop the US$ 15 Million top prize – choosing to take the lump sum of US$ 7.1 Million. Their lucky SC Education Lottery Powerball winning numbers are: 19, 30, 39, 40 and the POWERball 16. 2008 The SC Education Lottery introduces its first own in-house game with a rollover jackpot on January 30th. The MEGA MATCH 6 jackpot will increase in size each week until it is won. The starting jackpot is US$ 550,000 and the game uses a matrix of 6/37. The first MEGA MATCH 6 jackpot is won at US$ 871,715 on March 11th by an SC Education Lottery player who wishes to remain anonymous. The South Carolina Education Lottery has another POWERBALL jackpot winner on May 17th. Jonathan Vargas – just 19 years of age – is the lucky SC POWERBALL winner and scoops an amazing US$ 35.3 Million with the following Powerball winning numbers: 12, 14, 15, 21, 43 and the POWERball number 30. Jonathan decides on the lump sum option of US$ 17.3 Million. 2009 January 4th sees some significant changes to the POWERBALL game – the intention being to create larger jackpot prizes and produce even more winners. SC Education Lottery players will now see jackpots starting off at US$ 20 Million, a new US$ 1 Million is created and the Powerball matrix changes to 5/59 + 1/39. Also – draws for the Powerball move to Orlando’s Universal Studios in Florida – with the Florida Lottery joining the MUSL in selling Powerball Tickets. The SC Education Lottery introduces a new Instant Scratch-Off game – called GOLDEN TEE GOLF – on March 18th. This US$ 2 game has a top prize of US$ 20,000. Another new Instant Scratch-Off ticket is launched by the SC Education Lottery on April 21st – BIG LEAGUE BASEBALL. Top prize is US$ 100,000 and the cost of a ticket is US$ 5. From June 6th the CAROLINA 5 game – now called PALMETTO CASH 5 – will have an added draw on Saturdays. This brings the total weekly SC Education Lottery – PALMETTO CASH 5 – drawings to 6 per week. The SC Education Lottery MEGA MATCH 6 sees its largest jackpot to date at US$ 1,790,631 which it reaches on August 4th. The lucky winner is Samuel Wright from Lynchburg. On August 19th – Solomon Jackson Jr. has the largest lottery win in the history of the SC Education Lottery when he correctly matches the POWERBALL winning numbers of 14, 24, 31, 43, 51 and a POWERball of 27. Solomon wins a life-changing US$ 259.9 Million SC POWERBALL jackpot On October 9th an agreement is made between the Mega Millions Consortium and the MUSL – Multi-State Lottery Association – to allow the cross-sales of MEGA MILLIONS tickets within states that offer the POWERBALL game and the sale of POWERBALL tickets within states that offer the MEGA MILLIONS game. The SC Education Lottery will begin selling MEGA MILLIONS tickets come January. The SC Education Lottery ends the MEGA MATCH 6 game on December 29th after nearly 2 highly successful years. The only real reason for the ending of this game is due to the potential confusion among players when the South Carolina Lottery begins to sell tickets for the MEGA MILLIONS. 2010 On January 31st the South Carolina Lottery Commission sells its first lottery tickets for the national MEGA MILLIONS game – as a result of the recently made cross-selling agreement between the Mega Millions Consortium and the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) – in October 2009. On February 3rd – SC Education Lottery players are able to watch the first MEGA MILLIONS draw to be shown on television in their state. The first US$ 1 Million South Carolina MEGA MILLIONS winner emerges on April 14th when a ticket bought in Boiling Springs matches all 5 main MEGA MILLIONS winning numbers and – using the MEGAPLIER option – multiplies the standard second prize level winnings by 4 to US$ 250,000. A new Instant Scratch-Off game is introduced by the SC Education Lottery on June 5th – the US$ 5 Ric Flair WOOOOOO! with a top prize of US$ 100,000. From June 28th – SC Education Lottery draws are shown via satellite feed on WCSC/Live 5 – every night. From June 28th – draws for the South Carolina Lottery are also shown on the television channel WMBF-TV in Myrtle Beach/Florence – every night.
SC Education Lottery – Where the Money Goes…
Net proceeds raised by the SC Education Lottery go right back to the citizens of the State of South Carolina – with all monies going towards the area of education within the state.
Education in South Carolina is – in fact – the sole recipient of SC Education Lottery funding which is distributed not by the South Carolina Lottery itself but by the State’s General Assembly.
SC Education Lottery funding is used to support improvements and enhancements for the purposes of education and can proudly claim to be one of the few USA Lottery companies to appropriate their proceeds in this arena alone.
Since it began back in 2002 – through to the financial year 2010/11 – the SC Education Lottery has raised in excess of US$ 2.5 BILLION for education in the State of South Carolina.
A brief breakdown of the areas where the profits from SC Education Lottery games have gone – shows us that the majority (74%) has gone towards Scholarships and Programs of Higher Education. Kindergarten through Grade 12 (K-12) Programs have received 24% and Other Programs for Community Education have received 2%. Click Here to Play the SC POWERBALL Now Click Here to Check the latest SC POWERBALL Results Click Here to Read More about the SC POWERBALL Game Click Here to Play the SC MEGA MILLIONS Now Click Here to Check the latest SC MEGA MILLIONS Results Click Here to Read More about the SC MEGA MILLIONS Game
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