South Carolina Education Lottery officials announced that a $100,000 Powerball ticket sold at the 7‑Eleven located at 1000 79th Ave. N. in Myrtle Beach has never been cashed. The ticket, purchased for the May 23 drawing, matched four of the five white balls and the red Powerball, and the buyer also paid for Power Play, which doubled the base $50,000 prize.
Why the ticket may still be unclaimed
May 23 fell on Memorial Day weekend, a time when the Grand Strand welcomes countless visitors. A ticket bought during a beach‑week convenience run could easily have been taken home in a suitcase and forgotten.
Local players often overlook smaller prize tiers, tossing slips into cup holders or leaving them in glove boxes. The lottery treats tickets as bearer instruments, meaning whoever physically holds the ticket can claim the prize, and lost tickets cannot be replaced.
How to claim the prize
If you have the ticket, you must present it at the lottery’s Columbia Claims Center before 4 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 19, or mail it with a postmarked envelope by that date. The mailed claim requires the signed ticket, a completed claim form, and a copy of a government‑issued photo ID. Because the prize is exactly $100,000, it qualifies for the mail‑in option, sparing the winner a long drive inland.
Federal law withholds 24% of prizes over $5,000, and South Carolina withholds an additional 6%–7% for state taxes. After withholding, a similar $100,000 prize in neighboring North Carolina resulted in a net payment of $72,011.
What happens if the ticket remains unclaimed
Should the deadline pass without a claim, the full $100,000 will be deposited into the State Education Lottery Account to support educational programs, as required by state law. Unclaimed prize money is part of a multimillion‑dollar stream that funds schools and, in part, gambling‑disorder programs.
Residents who purchased Powerball tickets in the Myrtle Beach area over Memorial Day weekend are urged to check any slips they may still have. A quick scan at any lottery retailer can confirm a win.
Original reporting: MyrtleBeachSC News — read the source article.
