South Carolina Man Wins $586K Lottery After Returning Stranger’s Lost Ticket

A simple act of honesty turned into a life-changing moment for one South Carolina man.

Two months after returning a stranger’s lost $500 winning lottery ticket at a Myrtle Beach gas station, the anonymous man hit a massive $586,000 jackpot in the Palmetto Cash 5 drawing on April 25.

According to the South Carolina Education Lottery, the man found the ticket on the floor of a gas station near a Walmart in Myrtle Beach. Instead of keeping it, he handed it to the store manager and asked them to contact him if the owner showed up.

And that’s exactly what happened.

• The rightful owner came back looking for the ticket
• The man returned it without hesitation
• The grateful winner thanked him — and he felt his good deed would come back around

“The owner was so thankful that I just had a feeling something good was going to happen,” the man shared.

Turns out, he was right.

Just weeks later, he beat odds of 1 in 850,668 to win the $586,000 Palmetto Cash 5 jackpot before taxes.

Even better, the lucky winner says he doesn’t plan to keep it all for himself. Part of the money will go toward helping other people, and he hopes his story inspires others to always do the right thing.

The South Carolina Education Lottery has contributed billions toward education programs across the state since 2002, helping fund schools and scholarships through lottery proceeds.