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Travel back in time with the SC Lottery

Since its start in 2002, the Lottery has hit many milestones and created hundreds of millionaires — all in an effort to support local education in South Carolina.

January 22, 2025 • 
Anne Weber
Sponsored by
Three people playing the very first Lottery scratch-offs.

The Lottery’s first Scratch-Offs were sold on Jan. 7, 2002.

Photo the SC Education Lottery

Did you know? The South Carolina Education Lottery has been around for 23 years — aka, they’ve been old enough to buy a lottery ticket for five years now. After it was established in June 2001, the first four lottery tickets were bought and scratched on Jan. 7, 2002 at 6 a.m.

Since its start, South Carolina students have always won. How? All Lottery game proceeds are used to support local education. Think: Scholarships and grants, K-12 programs, and county libraries.

Winning numbers

Let’s throw it back to a few Lottery milestones and millionaires:

  • $259.9 million. How much Columbia native Solomon Jackson, Jr. won in a Powerball jackpot on Aug. 19, 2009.
  • 100. The number of millionaires the Lottery created between Jan. 2002 and Sept. 2013.
  • $5 billion. How much the Lottery transferred to support education by June 2018.
  • 132. How many days South Carolina’s first Mega Millions jackpot winner waited before coming forward to claim a $1.5 billion jackpot.

Play to win for local education

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