South Carolina Lottery Information (2024)

Use to table below to check the drawing days and ticket sale cut-off times for your favorite games.

The South Carolina Lottery sells tickets for Mega Millions and Powerball, and is one of a select number of jurisdictions offering the Powerball Double Play add-on. Double Play costs $1 more per play for an extra shot at winning awesome prizes with your Powerball numbers in a second draw - you could score up to $10 million in cash.

SC players also have a great range of in-state games to choose from.

Palmetto Cash 5

Palmetto Cash 5 is an easy and fun draw game that offers a top prize starting from $100,000 which rolls over until it is won. Drawings are held every day at 6:59 PM. Tickets cost just $2 per line and players pick five numbers from 1 to 42. They can also have numbers randomly generated for them by choosing a Quick Pick option. Thanks to multipliers, which are included in the game, you can multiply your non-jackpot by x2, x3, x5 or x10.

Pick 3

There are two versions of the South Carolina Pick 3 game - Midday and Evening. Pick 3 Midday is played Monday - Saturday at 12:59 PM EST and Pick 3 Evening is drawn daily at 6:59 PM EST. Add the Fireball option for extra chances to win.

Pick 4

Pick 4 is the SC draw game where players can win up to $5,000 every day, with four fun play types to choose from, and wagers starting at just $0.50. The Evening draw is held seven nights a week at 6:59 PM EST, and the Midday draw takes place Monday through Saturday at 12:59 PM EST. Try the Fireball add-on to heat up your play with more ways to win.

Fireball

Add the new Fireball option to any Pick 3 or Pick 4 play for even more chances to win. Here's how it works: A Fireball number from 0 to 9 will be randomly chosen after every Pick 3 and 4 drawing. Use the Fireball digit to replace any of the Pick 3 or 4 numbers drawn for the chance to make a winning combination! Adding Fireball doubles the cost of your base game play.

Cash Pop

Cash Pop is a daily draw game that launched in SC on January 17, 2022, with the chance to win up to $2,500. The Midday draw takes place Monday through Saturday at 12:59 PM ET. The Evening draw is held seven nights a week at 6:59 PM ET.

Other Games

If you like the thought of winning a cash prize within seconds of buying a game, why not try the instant games offered by the South Carolina Lottery? There's a wide range available from authorized retailers and you could land a windfall in the blink of an eye!

South Carolina has stopped participating in Lucky for Life - the final draw was held on June 28, 2021, and tickets are no longer for sale in the state. More information can be found here.

You have 180 days from the date of a drawing to claim your prize. Instant games may be claimed up to 90 days from the date that the game ends.

Winners may claim prizes of $100,000 and under by mail. Any South Carolina Lottery prize worth $500 or less can also be claimed at any authorized lottery retailer.

Prizes worth up to $100,000 can be redeemed by mail or by visiting the Claims Center in Columbia.

Prizes worth $100,001 or more will need to be redeemed in person at the same Claims Center - you can't claim these winnings via mail.

The South Carolina Lottery withholds taxes of seven percent on lottery winnings worth more than $500. Larger prizes may be subject to federal withholding taxes of 25 percent.

Claim a prize by mail

To redeem a win of $100,000 or below by mail, send the following to the Lottery at the address below:

1. Completed original ticket
2. Completed claim form
3. Copy of a photo ID with your date of birth (e.g. driver's license, passport, military, or state ID)

Send to:

S.C. Education Lottery
P.O. Box 11039
Columbia, SC 29211-1039

The South Carolina Education Lottery began operating on January 7th, 2002 after the South Carolina General Assembly approved the establishment of a state lottery in June 2001. The Lottery joined Powerball in 2002 and began selling Mega Millions tickets in January 2010.

An anonymous ticket holder from South Carolina won a $399.4 million Powerball jackpot on September 18th, 2013.

To date, the South Carolina Lottery has raised more than $3.4 billion for educational initiatives such as K-12 programs, community education and scholarships for college students. Roughly 26.1 percent of every dollar raised through ticket sales goes back to the state to help support these good causes.

On October 23rd 2018, a player from South Carolina won a Mega Millions jackpot of $1.537 billion, one of the biggest lottery jackpots ever seen and also the second-largest amount ever won by a single ticket holder at the time.