South Carolina Lottery: 1,400 Winners Share Prize with Unlikely Number

The lucky combination of 2-2-2-2 in a recent South Carolina lottery drawing paid off -- maybe too well.

Roughly 1,400 people are now reaping the benefits of the South Carolina Education Lottery’s Pick 4 midday drawing on Saturday.

The number of winners was record-setting, costing the Lottery in excess of $3.4 million.

After chosing the winning numbers -- or number in this case -- dozens lined up alongside the Lottery’s Claims Center in Columbia, the state capital, to claim their prize. The winnings ranged from $2,500 to $5,000 depending on the price paid for the ticket.

One lucky individual walked away with an even bigger lump sum than the rest -- $80,000 -- after playing the number 16 times on Saturday.

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One of the winners told the lottery she played the numbers in memory of her daughter, while another picked them solely because her birthday is on Feb 22. Another group of "loyal" players had chosen the same series for years.

The last time the same combination was drawn was in July 2012, when it garnered 652 wins.

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Just last year, the number of billionaires in South Carolina seemingly doubled overnight -- at least before taxes -- after a lottery ticket sold in the state nabbed the $1.537 billion Mega Millions jackpot.

The ticket, sold at the KC Mart in Simpsonville, matched all six numbers drawn, defying the 1-in-302.5 million odds to win the near-record prize.

South Carolina’s last big winner, prior to 2018, took a $399 million Powerball jackpot in September 2013. It was the fourth-biggest lottery prize in U.S. history at the time.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.