Columbia, SC (WLTX) - Tuesday's Megamillions jackpot has reached a record high of 1.6 billion dollars. The odds of a single ticket matching all the numbers are 1 in 302 million. There are a few "lucky" spots that Midlands residents like to think increase those odds.
- Murphy USA, 4873 Augusta Rd, Lexington. The Murphy USA gas station on Highway 1 just outside of Lexington has already proven lucky for one player. The store sold a $399 million winning ticket in 2013. That ticket is the largest Powerball winner ever by someone in the Palmetto State.
- Murphy USA, 7530 Garners Ferry Rd, Columbia. The Murphy USA by the Walmart on Garners Ferry Road in Columbia has also provided a big winner. The location sold a $259 million winning ticket back in 2009.
- Raceway, 2839 Charleston Highway, West Columbia. A big winner also came from the Raceway gas station in West Columbia just off I-77 and I-26. The spot sold a $35 million jackpot winner in 2008.
- Jimmy's Mart, 9900 Two Notch Rd, Columbia. Some lottery players will tell you to head to Jimmy's Mart on Two Notch Road to buy your tickets. The gas station leads the Midlands in sales of lottery tickets.
- Obama Gas Station, 5831 North Main St, Columbia. Another popular location for Powerball players is the Obama Gas Station on Columbia's North Main Street. Lottery officials tell News19 the store has sold a couple of tickets that won a million dollars (or more) in the past.
While it is fun to talk about good luck locations and how you would spend the record jackpot, lottery officials say buying a large number of tickets does not increase your odds of winning.
You can watch the record Megamillions drawing on WLTX just before News19 at 11 p.m..
