Man Did ‘Right Thing’ and Returned a Stranger’s Lost $500 Lottery Ticket. He Then Won Over Half a Million Dollars Weeks Later – AOL

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• A South Carolina man won a $586,000 lottery jackpot two months after returning a stranger’s lost $500 winning ticket

• The anonymous winner said he felt good things were coming after reuniting the ticket with its rightful owner at a Myrtle Beach gas station

• The man said he plans to use part of his lottery winnings to help others and hopes his story inspires people “to do the right thing”

A South Carolina man won more than half a million dollars in his local lottery — and he said it all started with a simple act of honesty.

The man, who has chosen to remain anonymous, said he found a $500 winning lottery ticket on the floor of the gas station in front of his local Walmart in Myrtle Beach, according to a press release from the South Carolina (SC) Education Lottery.

The man told the store manager to let him know if anyone came looking for the winning ticket. Someone eventually did, and the man returned it.

“The owner was so grateful to get the ticket back that I knew I was going to hit the lottery after that. I just knew it,” the man said, per the SC Education Lottery.

The man’s instincts proved correct: He went on to win $586,000 two months later, on April 25, in the Palmetto Cash 5 jackpot drawing — the odds of which were one in 850,668.

His winning amount is pre-tax.

As for what the man plans to do with his winnings? Help others.

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

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Since 2002, the SC Education Lottery has contributed more than $9.4 billion to support education in the state, with roughly $546.8 million transferred in fiscal year 2025, per self-reporting from the SC Education Lottery.

If you or someone you know is struggling with a gambling problem, please contact the National Problem Gambling Helpline Network at 1-800-522-4700 or go to gamtalk.org.

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